ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Sludge

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the consultation paper Proposals to Amend the Statutory Controls for the use of Agricultural Sludge, when the consultees listed in Annexe C of the paper received the paper; and what percentage of the consultees responded.

Elliot Morley: The consultation paper on the proposals to amend the statutory controls for the agricultural use of sludge was dispatched on 21 October 2002 to all those individuals and organisations listed at Annexe C of the paper, a total of 220. 32 (15 per cent.) of these consultees responded. A further 185 copies were requested from the Defra distribution centre and the paper was also available on the Defra website. The total number of responses received was 63.

EU Enlargement

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the EU Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Elliot Morley: The EU Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD) is available to the 10 EU new member states and candidate countries from central and eastern Europe 1 . Its objectives are similar to those of the rural development programmes in the 15 existing member states.
	The programme has provided a valuable opportunity to the candidates in the practical application of rural development policies and EU financial systems. The accreditation process for the newly established Paying Agencies in particular has enabled them to experience and satisfy EU audit procedures.
	Defra Ministers and officials have taken every opportunity to urge the applicants to make full use of the funds available. Defra is a strong supporter of rural development programmes as a mechanism for supporting rural and farming areas and very much welcomes this chance for the candidates to benefit from these systems in advance of their membership. Although we have not commissioned any specific assessment of the progress of SAPARD expenditure, my officials attend meetings of the European Commission Regulatory Committee, which reviews and approves the programmes of the countries concerned.
	1 New member states due to join May 2004: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia. Candidates due to join in 2007: Bulgaria and Romania.

Animal By-products

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and animal by-products are operational in (a) the North West of England and (b) England.

Elliot Morley: We are not aware of any furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and unprocessed animal by-products.
	Prior to the introduction of the EU Animal By-Products Regulation on 1 May 2003, the Department was not responsible for the approval of animal carcase incinerators, with the exception of incinerators which dispose of Specified Risk Material. However, a central register of operators currently approved to operate specified risk material incinerators indicates that as at 1 May 2003 there were 306 approved incinerators in Great Britain. Strictly speaking these are not fuelled by animal carcases or unprocessed animal by-products. They use gas/oil as fuel to provide the heat to burn the carcases.

Animal By-products

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the EU Animal By-products Regulation will apply to the burial of (a) domestic cattle, (b) domestic pigs, (c) domestic sheep, (d) domestic poultry, (e) goats, (f) llamas, (g) ostriches, (h) members of the equine family, (i) dogs, (j) cats, (k) hamsters, (l) gerbils, (m) rabbits, (n) guinea pigs, (o) rodents, (p) farmed fish, (q) domestic fish and (r) wild animals killed on the road; and what advice the Department has given to owners of these animals.

Elliot Morley: The carcases, or parts of carcases, of wild animals are exempt from the scope of the Regulation unless they are thought to be diseased or are used to produce game trophies.
	The Regulation allows member states to apply for various derogations regarding the disposal of animal by-products, and, among others, we have applied for the derogation to permit the burial of dead pet animals.
	The definition of a pet animal given within the Regulation is: any animal belonging to species normally nourished and kept, but not consumed, by humans for purposes other than farming. Therefore, species such as cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry etc would fall out-with this definition and would require disposal by an approved route other than burial.
	The situation with regard to equines is complicated. Although it can be argued that humans within the UK do not consume members of the equine family, the UK does export horses/ponies which may be used for human consumption. Under a strict interpretation the EU Regulation would, therefore, ban the burial of pet equines but we would expect local authorities, who enforce the legislation, to deal with such cases on an individual basis.
	Although no specific advice has been provided to pet owners, information on the disposal of animal carcases is available on the Defra website, at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm., and from local Defra Animal Health Offices.

Animal By-products

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what advice she has given to Wiltshire county council about the disposal of TB infected badger carcases;
	(2)  what advice she has given to local authorities in parts of the country where badgers may be infected with TB on the testing, collection and disposal of badger carcases.

Elliot Morley: The EU Animal By-Products Regulation, which applied in member states from 1 May, requires, among other things, that wild animals suspected of being infected with diseases communicable to humans and animals, such as bovine TB, are disposed of at an approved plant using one of the following methods:
	1. incineration;
	2. rendering followed by incineration; or
	3. pressure rendering followed by landfill
	Trading Standards, who enforce the Regulation, have received guidance notes and training on the new rules. In addition, information on the disposal of animal carcases is available on the Defra website, at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm., and from local Defra Animal Health Offices.

Animal By-products

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the materials by type that will be included through her Department's national subscription collection and disposal scheme for fallen livestock under the Animal By-Products Regulation.

Elliot Morley: Assuming that the scheme is viable, we would envisage that it would apply to the collection and disposal of carcases of all types of farmed livestock on agricultural holdings.

Animal By-products

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that schemes to collect animal carcases from farms will not result in the spread of disease.

Elliot Morley: Animal By-Products legislation already controls the collection, storage and transportation of animal by-products, including animal carcases, it also requires records to be kept of any consignment of animal by-products to assist in the auditing and traceability of this material.
	However, we would expect that only those collectors who follow biosecurity procedures yet to be agreed would be allowed to participate in a national carcase collection service.

Animal By-products

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 10 April 2003, Official Report, column 364W, on fallen stock, if she will list the alternative processes that the Commission is considering for approval; and what the timetable is for the consultation process.

Elliot Morley: On the basis of information submitted, the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) adopted an Opinion on six alternative methods for safe disposal of animal by-products on 10 to 11 April 2003. According to this Opinion, five methods are regarded as safe for the disposal or use of Category 2 and 3 animal by-products. These five methods are:
	high pressure high temperature hydrolysis;
	high pressure hydrolysis biogas process;
	biodiesel Production;
	Brookes gasification system; and
	combustion of Tallow in a thermal boiler.
	The Commission will now analyse the SSC opinion and present a proposal approving the five methods listed above to the next Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.
	On the basis of the SSC opinion, member states can allow the use of the methods listed for the disposal or use of Category 2 and 3 animal by-products, pending their approval by the Commission, provided that:
	1. the alternative methods are approved by the competent authority following adequate validation procedures; and
	2. the premises, facilities and operational standards meet the recommendations of the SSC opinion.
	The SSC opinion can be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out352 en.pdf

Animal By-products

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of emissions from furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and animal by-products.

Elliot Morley: No assessment has been made of emissions from furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and animal by-products. However, Defra commissioned an independent report to measure and review atmospheric emissions from small carcase incinerators, which was published in August 2002. This is available on the Defra website at: http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project data/Default.asp under Project Code WA0806.

Animal By-products

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department has given to those who undertake pest control on disposing of (a) foxes, (b) rodents and (c) mustelids.

Elliot Morley: The Animal By-Product Regulation, which applied in member states from 1 May, does not apply to foxes, rodents, mustelids or other wildlife. With regard to rodents, for those killed by rodenticides the Statutory Conditions of Use for each product will stipulate the method of carcass disposal. These conditions are set by either the Health and Safety Executive or the Pesticides Safety Directorate. Typically, the conditions require that rodent carcases are either burnt or buried. These conditions must be strictly adhered to. Defra has not given specific disposal advice for foxes and mustelids, but recommends that normal good practice is followed. Anyone requiring advice on appropriate disposal methods should contact their local authority.

Animal By-products

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations will apply to the burial of pets from 30 April; and what information on burial she has provided for pet owners.

Elliot Morley: The Animal By-Products Regulation allows member states to apply for various derogations regarding the disposal of animal by-products, and, among others, we have applied for the derogation to permit the burial of dead pet animals.
	Although no specific information has been provided to pet owners, information is available on the Defra website at the following address: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm.

Biological Resources Centres

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response she has made to the OECD Initiative on Biological Resources Centres; and what resources have been committed to the achievement in the UK of the objectives of the initiative.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 9 April 2003
	The Government supports the broad objective of the OECD initiative on Biological Resource Centres, which is to seek to ensure the conservation of biological resources and associated information in an efficient and effective way through the creation of a global network of biological resource centres like seed banks or culture collections, and, through such a network, to provide improved access to biological resources of an appropriate quality to bona fide users in the fields of life sciences and biotechnology. Proposals on how this might be achieved are still under discussion in the OECD. Officials from my Department are actively involved in those talks.

Bovine Claim Payments

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is owed to Mr. and Mrs. T. McCoy of Dartmouth in relation to their 2001 bovine claim; and what the reasons are for the delay in payment, with reference to her Department's letter to the hon. Member for Totnes of 15 March 2003, ref 179375/JW.

Alun Michael: As stated in the letter of 15 March 2003, all Mr. And Mrs. McCoy's bovine claims for 2001 have been paid, and there are not outstanding payments.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the new rights of access under Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to commence in the Central Southern Region.

Alun Michael: I announced in November last year that the new right for the public to walk on mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land will be rolled out on a region by region basis. This will give walkers the right to walk in open countryside and on registered common land as early as possible, rather than having to wait for the mapping process to be completed for the whole country. I intend to open the first two regions to public access during the summer of 2004. These are the south east and central southern England.
	This is a demanding timetable as we will need to have in place not only the conclusive maps for those regions but also all necessary restrictions and exclusion on access. Guidance and codes of practice will also need to be available to walkers and landowners. These mechanisms are necessary under the CROW Act and it is important for them to be in force in each region before access land is made available to the public so that the interests of both land managers and walkers are safeguarded.We expect to meet the target of having all access land open by the end of 2005.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by her Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Alun Michael: A number of criminal offences have been created in primary legislation, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its predecessor Departments, since 1997. The following list contains only legislation concerning policy areas now administered by Defra. The Plant Varieties Act 1997 (c. 66) created two new criminal offences. The Food Standards Act 1999 (c. 28) created eight new criminal offences. The Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 (c. 33) created four new criminal offences. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37) created 22 new criminal offences. The Animal Health 2002 Act (c. 42) created 14 new criminal offences.
	No comprehensive records are kept by the Department of offences created in secondary legislation, and the cost of searching the many instruments in force for which the Department has responsibility would be disproportionate.

Exhibitions

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list events at which her Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which her Department is responsible have exhibited in each of the last three years, stating for each (a) the purpose of exhibiting, (b) the cost of exhibiting and (c) the number of staff attending for the exhibition.

Alun Michael: The following is a list of the events at which attendance or an exhibit were commissioned centrally by Defra as part of the Department's publicity
	programme. This covers the period since the Department's inception in June 2001. The events were commissioned at a cost of 0.5 million in 200102 and 1.2 million in 200203 to Defra's central publicity budget.
	The number of staff attending each event is not available and the information for each agency and non-departmental body for which Defra is responsible could be collated only at a disproportionate cost.
	Shows 200102
	Agrivision (National Event) NAG Stoneleigh
	Permanent Defra Exhibition Event (continually updated) Brockhole Visitor Centre, Lake District ESA, Cumbria.
	Beef 2001 Royal Agricultural College
	Agrivision South of England Agricultural Society, Ardingley, West Sussex
	Crufts Dogs Show NEC Birmingham
	Agrivision Show Cornwall Wadebridge, Cornwall
	The Supreme Cat Show, NEC, Birmingham
	National Cat Club, Olympia, London
	Royal Cornwall Show, Wadebridge, Cornwall
	Devon County Show, Westpoint, Clyst St. Mary, Exeter
	Town  Country Festival NAC, Stoneleigh, Warks
	Tatton Park Show, Tatton Park, Cheshire
	CLA Game Fair, Shuttleworth College, Bedfordshire
	Fruit Focus Show, Hadlow College, Kent
	Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, Hampton Court, Surrey
	BBC Gardeners World Live, NEC, Birmingham
	Bath  West Dairy Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset
	Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition, Earl's Court, London
	FMD InformationMobile Unit visited Houghton, Oakhampton, Barnstaple, Northallerton and Ripon
	Careers FairExhibitionBuilding Design Centre, Islington
	Conferences/seminars 200102
	Study Group Meeting Conference
	TSE Research WorkshopDurham University
	Public Appointments SeminarNottingham
	Careers Seminars, Bromsgrove School
	English Rural Development Programme Seminar, Bewl Water, Ardingley, Devon and Reading
	Planning and Diversification SeminarReading and Oxford
	Public Appointments SeminarNorwich, Abingdon, Nottingham
	Anti-Microbial Resistance SeminarWoolfson Theatre, NAG, Stoneleigh
	Golden Rules SeminarKendal, Cumbria
	Waste Seminar-QEII
	Food and Farming ConferenceOxford
	Map 'Launch' with Countryside Agency, Portcullis House, Westminster
	SEAC Open Meeting Conference QE2 Centre, London
	Developing DEFRA Conference, Aston Villa, F.C. Birmingham
	National Energy CropTDI Victoria Street
	18 x FMD Recovery Seminars (Nationwide)
	Exhibitions/shows 200203
	Agrivision (Midlands) Stafford
	Permanent ExhibitionBrockhole Visitor Centre, Lake District ESA, Cumbria
	Sprays and Sprayers 2002, NAG, Stoneleigh
	Lincolnshire Show, Grange-De-Lincs, Lincoln
	Tatton Park Flower Show 2002, Tatton Park, Cheshire
	Fruit Focus 2002, East Mailing, Kent
	Pig and Poultry Fair, NAC, Stoneleigh
	Devon Country, Westpoint, Clyst St. Mary, Exeter
	Grassland (and MUCK), NAC Stoneleigh
	Beef 2002 Woolner, Northumberland
	Royal Bath and West, Shepton Mallet, Somerset
	Royal Cornwall, Wadebridge, Cornwall
	South of England, Ardingley, W. Sussex
	Cereals 2002, Sleaford, Lincs
	Three Countries Show, Malvern, Worcs
	East of England, Peterborough
	BBC Gardener's World Live, NEC Birmingham
	Royal Norfolk, New Costessey, Norwich
	Hampton Court Flower Show, Hampton Court
	Great Yorkshire, Harrogate, N. Yorks
	CLA Game Fair, Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire
	New Forest and Hampshire, Brockenhurst, Hampshire
	Royal Lancashire, Astley Park, Chorley, Lancs
	Northumberland Show, Corbridge, Northumberland
	National Scrapie Plan Stand (Various Locations)
	Royal Show, NAG, Stoneleigh
	Great Yorkshire ShowHarrogate
	Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells
	Sheep 2002, Malvern
	The Royal Smithfield ShowEarls Court London
	Skills City Careers Exhibition, Salford, Manchester
	International Food and Drink Exhibition Excel, Dockland
	European Dairy Event, NAC, Stoneleigh
	Discover Dogs, Earls Court, London
	Town  Country Show 2002, NAC, Stoneleigh
	The Supreme Cat Show 2002, NEC Birmingham
	The National Cat Club Show, Olympia 2, London
	The Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition, Earls Court
	Conferences/seminars/launches 200203
	8 Regional Events On Sustainable Food and FarmingGovernment Office Regional Conferences
	Career Fair and Welcome Events
	Annual Report of Sustainable Development, Canal Museum, Camden
	Abbots Hall Farm, (Agri-Environment Schemes)ESA's Re-introduction of Grazing on the Coastline, Great and Little Wagborough, Kent
	Wildlife Crimes Unit
	Marine Stewardship Event, National Maritime Museum
	Launch of New Atlas of British and Irish Flora, Kew Gardens
	Community Renewable Initiative Workshop
	Defra Hearings on Hunting with Dogs
	OECD Launch, Room 808, Nobel House
	Public Appointments Seminars, Scunthorpe, Leeds, Greenwich, Tyneside and University of Kent
	Scientific Advisers Presentations, Horseguards Hotel and Nobel House
	British Equine Event 2002, NAC, Stoneleigh
	Sustainability In Public Service
	Sustainable Development Events QEII Centre, London
	Bio Energy Conference
	Flood and Coastal Management Conference, Keele University
	Countryside Stewardship Campaign, 10th Anniversary ConferenceKew Gardens
	Noise Forum Conference, Chartered Institute Environmental Health, Waterloo
	Creating the Future 2002, Central Hall, Westminster

Timber

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government procurement policy on timber includes timber used on and in the construction of Government building projects; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Government procurement policy on timber applies to all wood and products made from wood used in performing Government contracts. That includes the wood used temporarily during construction works as well as wood fixed as part of a finished structure. The Office of Government Commerce reminded Government Departments of this policy in November 2002,and particular attention was drawn to construction projects as follows:
	Under the Achieving Excellence agenda, Departments are encouraged to improve the design quality, sustainability, health and safety and client management of their supply chains for their construction projects.
	Managers must, in addition, make themselves aware of the commitment made by the UK Government in July 2000 that all Departments and their agencies should actively seek to procure their timber and timber products from legal and sustainably managed sources.

Market Research

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each.

Alun Michael: The expenditure on external market research which has been recorded centrally by Defra in 2002/03 was 354,000.
	The list of the surveys is:
	Corporate Identity research
	Illegal Meat Imports
	General Public trackingomnibus
	GM Crops desk research
	GM Debate Foundation discussion workshops
	GM debatestimulus content creation
	Defra Customer Vision
	Defra's sponsorship activities
	The information not held centrally within Defra and for each agency and non-departmental body for which Defra is responsible could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the expected saving to public funds from the private finance initiative schemes due to become operational in 2003.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Boateng) on 10 April 2003, Official Report, column 400W.

Common Agricultural Policy

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of CAP Pillar Two funding.

Elliot Morley: The effectiveness of CAP Pillar Two funding in England is being assessed in several ways. The Mid-term Evaluation of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) is currently in progress and aims to assess the implementation and impact of the Programme since its inception in 2000 to present. The evaluation will be completed in December 2003 and its findings will be reported to the European Commission. Similar evaluations are being produced on rural development programmes in other parts of the UK and in the other member states.
	There are also a number of recently completed or on-going studies on individual ERDP schemes and other reviews that will touch on the effectiveness of the Programme as a whole. The studies on individual ERDP schemes include a major review of agri-environment schemes, a Hill Farming Allowance review and reviews of the Farm Woodland Premium and Woodland Grant Schemes. With regard to project based schemes, an economic evaluation of the Processing and Marketing Grant scheme is in progress and various aspects of the impact the Rural Enterprise Scheme are being examined.
	Outside of these internal reviews and studies, Defra officials assess the effectiveness of CAP Pillar Two funding by analysing reports from other organisations and by using internal management information.

Regional Policy

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Department has made towards the aim in the White Paper, Your Region, Your Choice, of assessing the balance of staff between the centre and the regions in terms of effective policy design and implementation; and what examples there have been since the publication of the White Paper of the Department deciding between locating new streams of work (a) in and (b) outside London and the south-east.

Alun Michael: Defra is making considerable progress towards the aims set out in the White Paper, Your Region, Your Choice, and Ministers have repeatedly stressed the importance of regional delivery and regional partnerships. For example:
	Defra Teams in Government Offices
	The Department's predecessor, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), planned to move around 90 staff into the Government Office network in April 2001. The demands of the foot and mouth outbreak delayed some of these moves, but since summer 2001, the Rural Director's team in each region has been fully integrated into the Government office. They also work closely with the Regional Development Agency, the Regional Assembly and a range of regional and local partners. A 'sounding board' for rural communities in each region is provided by The Regional Rural Affairs Forum, which has direct representation on the Rural Affairs Forum for England which I chair. The network of Regional Forums is encouragement of Ministers and senior officials. The formation of Defra in June 2001 also meant that the pre-existing environment teams in the Government Offices contribute to the delivery of Defra's environmental and sustainable development objectives.
	Since then, the Department has provided an extra 2.3 million to administer its policies in 200304an increase of one hird from 200203. This will enable the Government Offices to increase their involvement in the delivery of the Department's sustainable food and farming strategy and the rural agenda.
	The Better Quality Service Review of the Defra Estate
	We are undertaking a Better Quality Services Review of our estate, including its London headquarters operations, and the review's findings are expected to be made available shortly. One of the issues it has been considering is the extent to which staff should continue to be located in central London accommodation.
	Lord Haskins Review
	Lord Haskins has been asked to make recommendations on how the Government's rural policies can be delivered more effectively and efficiently. He will be considering the future role of regional and local bodies in the context of delivery.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the pollutants regarded as volatile organic compounds; and if she will make a statement on the health risks associated with the pollutants regarded as volatile organic compounds.

Alun Michael: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include a very wide range of individual substances, such as hydrocarbons (for example benzene and toluene), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halocarbons and oxygenates. Hydrocarbon VOCs are usually grouped into methane and other non-methane VOCs. Non-methane VOCs are emitted to air as combustion products, as vapour arising from handling or use of petroleum distillates, solvents or chemicals, and from numerous other sources. The emissions of the 50 most significant non-methane VOCs in the UK (in terms of mass emissions), together with time trends and a spatially disaggregated map of all sources are published annually in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, available at www.naei.org.uk.
	Some VOCs are harmful to human health, including benzene, PAHs and 1,3-butadiene. Benzene can cause leukaemia, if exposure is maintained over a long period of time. There are several hundred different forms of PAH, and sources can be both natural and man-made. Several of these PAHs can cause lung cancer. Sources of 1,3-butadiene include the manufacturing of synthetic rubbers, petrol driven vehicles and cigarette smoke. 1,3-butadiene exposure probably causes lymphomas or leukaemias. Other volatile organic compounds may, at high concentrations, affect the central nervous system (e.g. chloroform), cause liver damage (e.g. carbon tetrachloride) or show irritant effects (e.g. aldehydes). These effects will not necessarily be relevant at environmental levels of exposure.
	VOCs also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone that can impair lung function and cause irritation to the respiratory tract. Ozone has also been associated with increases in respiratory hospital admissions and deaths in those already ill with respiratory disease.
	Total emissions of methane and non-methane VOCs have reduced significantly in England since the late 1980s, particularly those from traffic and industrial processes, and are expected to continue to do so. The UK met the requirements of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution's 1991 Geneva Protocol, which required a 30 per cent. reduction in VOC emissions by 1999 using 1988 as a basis. The EU National Emission Ceilings Directive has set a further target of a reduction to 1200kT VOC annual emissions by 2010. Latest projections suggest the UK will meet this target. The Air Quality Strategy includes objectives for ambient levels of benzene, PAHs and 1,3-butadiene to protect human health. Latest monitoring indicates that we have already met the Air Quality Strategy objectives for some of these pollutants at most sites in the UK and that levels are generally declining for all these pollutants.

Partners for Water and Sanitation

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the work being carried out with the support of her Department on Partners for Water and Sanitation.

Elliot Morley: Since its inception in 2001, Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) has brought together a forum of partners from Government, civil society and the private sector. The aim has been to contribute to the Millennium Development Goal for Water and the equivalent target for sanitation agreed at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002.
	PAWS currently focuses on three countriesSouth Africa, Uganda and Nigeria. The current position in each of the partner countries is as follows. South Africa
	Preparatory meetings in February and May 2002 set the scene for the development of the partnership in South Africa. A further meeting took place the following August to set out the ways in which the partnership could contribute to meeting the needs of municipalities in South Africa. This meeting examined these needs, and agreement was reached on guiding criteria to decide which municipalities will enter into partnership with the UK. The meeting also considered an outline programme of work to include study visits to municipalities by partnership working groups. Partners attended an inception workshop with four nominated municipalities in November at which presentations were made by the partnership to explain the basis for the initiative and by municipalities to explain their assessment of needs and priorities. Scoping study visits were made to Hungulu, Matjhabeng, Nkomazi and Zululand between January and April 2003, from which a number of conclusions and specific recommendations for action were generated. A bi-national meeting is planned to take place in South Africa in early June 2003 to consider the outcome of the scoping studies and to develop a plan of action for each municipality.
	Nigeria
	Following a series of preparatory meetings in April 2002, PAWS agreed to partnership engagement with the State of Enugu. A further visit was made by a small partnership working party in late September 2002 to participate in meetings at State Government level and to consider a detailed assessment of needs and how these might be met from partnership resources. The group reported to the Partnership Steering Group late in 2002 setting out areas which had been identified for possible partnership involvement. The group are currently finalising a plan for action over the next year, which includes the appointment of an in-country co-ordinator.
	Uganda
	The concept of Partners for Water and Sanitation was introduced to Uganda in May 2002. An exploratory visit took place the following June, which identified potential stakeholders and furthered the development of the initiative in Uganda. The partnership was represented at the annual sector review at the end of September 2002. Discussions are continuing on the scope for partnership involvement in and the Secretariat are examining the options for exchange programmes to allow Ugandan Government technical staff the opportunity to visit the UK.

Water Industry

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy that the Water Service regulator, in determining the charges that water companies can make to their customers, should take account of the need for these companies to rectify flooding problems which do not necessarily involve direct ingress of water or sewage into people's homes.

Elliot Morley: In setting price limits for sewerage undertakers, the Director General of Water Services takes account of companies' sewer flooding programmes. In the initial Guidance issued to the Director General in January 2003, the Secretary of State, made clear that there would need to be an increase in the rate at which companies rectify sewer flooding problems if companies are to get on top of the situation.
	The Secretary of State also welcomed the findings of the consultation carried out by Ofwat in the paper, Flooding from Sewers, particularly the proposal that the worst cases of external sewer flooding should be included in sewerage undertakers' programmes. This should help to ensure that many more customers than at present benefit from sewer flooding prevention schemes.

TREASURY

Global Health Fund

John Lyons: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to finance the Global Health Fund.

John Healey: The Department for International Development has committed $200 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over five years.
	In addition, the Treasury is seeking international support to establish the International Finance Facility, which will raise $50 billion annually to fund the Millennium Development Goals. This money would be disbursed in the form of concessional loans and grants, including debt relief.

Industrial and Provident Societies

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further measures he is taking to reform industrial and provident society law.

Paul Boateng: The Government recognise the important contribution industrial and provident societies can make to the economy and are currently progressing a range of initiatives to support the sector.

Overseas Development Assistance

Mr. Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the UK is making towards the target of contributing 0.7 per cent. of national income to aid for the developing world.

John Healey: The Government remain fully committed to reaching the UN target for official development assistance (oda) of 0.7 per cent. of Gross National Income. In the 2002 Spending Review the Government set out their spending plans for the next three years up to 200506 and have made substantial increases to the aid budget. The UK's level of official development assistance reached 0.32 per cent. in 2001 and will reach 0.40 per cent. by 200506, up from 0.26 per cent. in 1997.
	Aid effectiveness is also important as well as aid volumes. The Government are committed to redirecting their development assistance budget to the poorest countries, particularly those with effective governments pursuing high growth and pro-poor economic and social policies. By 200506, 90 per cent. of DfID's bilateral budget will be spent in low-income countries, where research tells us it is most effective. In addition, the Government have untied all their aid as from 1 April 2001.

Tax Credit Claims

Michael Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of applications for (a) working tax credit and (b) working families tax credit were submitted either incomplete or with errors preventing correct assessment.

Dawn Primarolo: Claims for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are made together, on one form, leading to a single calculation if claimants qualify for both. By 28 April, over 4 million claims to the new tax credits had been received and around 3.2 million awards were already being paid or had been set up for payment. The Inland Revenue was working through the remaining claims as quickly as possible. Where necessary, the Revenue contacts claimants to ask for any outstanding information or to follow up any queries about the claim.
	The number of claims for Working Families Tax Credit that were initially incomplete is not available. The priority is to identify and correct errors where possible and get claims into payment.

Tax Credit Claims

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the recent unavailability of the working tax credit helpline; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In recent weeks the number of callers has exceeded the capacity of the helpline and some have not been able to get through on their first call. One of the facts that the helpline has consistently had to confirm is that the earliest date for the (monthly) payment is 28 April. To meet the demand, we have, over the last six weeks, increased the resource allocated to handling telephone calls to maximise the number of calls the helpline can answer.

Tax Credit Claims

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what action he is taking to ensure that take-up of tax credits is not adversely affected by the initial administrative problems;
	(2)  what action he is taking to relieve the impact of the problems encountered when administering tax credits in the Redcar constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 53W.
	Over 4 million claims have already been made for the Child and Working Tax Credit. The publicity campaign to encourage claims from families who may be entitled to tax credits will continue.

Tax Credit Claims

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much has been spent on publicising the emergency payments system for tax credits; and if he will list the media being used to publicise the emergency payments system;
	(2)  how many households have received money under the emergency payment system for tax credits; and what the total value of such payments is.

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many interim payments of child tax credit have been paid by each Inland Revenue office.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue already had standing procedures to enable interim payments of tax credits to be paid, in cases where such payments are necessary. As I said to the House on 28 April 2003, by the end of last week 3.2 million families had their tax credits in payment in the normal way and remaining cases were being processed as quickly as possible. In the vast majority of cases, therefore, special arrangements for payment are not necessary.

Tax Credit Claims

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue will publish a code of practice on overpayment of tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue will publish a code of practice on recovery of overpaid tax credits later this year.

Tax Credit Claims

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit are waiting to be processed.

Dawn Primarolo: Claims for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are made together, on one form, leading to a single calculation if claimants qualify for both. By 28 April, over 4 million claims to the new tax credits had been received and around 3.2 million awards were already being paid or had been set up for payment. The Inland Revenue was working through the remaining claims as quickly as possible, where necessary contacting claimants for outstanding information.

Tax Credit Claims

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many households who submitted application forms before 31 January are yet to receive payments of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit; how many payments of (i) child tax credit and (ii) working tax credit are overdue; and what the total value is of overdue payments of (A) child tax credit and (B) working tax credit;
	(2)  how many households who have applied for (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit and who opted to receive four-weekly payments applied (i) before and (ii) after 31 January.

Dawn Primarolo: About 2.7 million claims for child tax credit and working tax credit were received by the end of January 2003.
	Awards are already being paid except in the small proportion of cases where further information is needed to make a decision on the claim. In these cases the Inland Revenue should already have been in touch with claimants to ask for that further information.
	About a third of all claims processed so far have opted for weekly payment.

Home Safety Products (VAT)

Claire Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of discussions with the EU to reduce VAT on home safety products.

John Healey: Discussions on the EU provisions for reduced rates of VAT will follow publication of proposals for such a review by the European Commission. We will consider the position of home safety products and other goods and services for which we have received similar representations as part of that review.

Manufacturing Industry

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the sterling exchange rate on demand for British manufactures.

John Healey: A full assessment of the prospects for manufacturing can be found in Chapter B of this year's Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC 500), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Small Business

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, What discussions he had in advance of the Budget with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry regarding new taxes and regulations imposed on small businesses.

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor meets regularly with my right hon. Friend , at which time he discusses a full range of relevant issues, including the Government's success at reducing the corporate tax burden on companies and introducing such reforms as a RD tax credit and improvements to the capital gains tax regime.

Small Business

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of Exchequer, what representations he received from the Federation of Small Businesses in advance of the Budget regarding his policies on corporate tax and regulation.

Dawn Primarolo: In advance of the Budget the Government received representations from a number of organisations, including the Federation of Small Business.

International Finance Facility

Ernie Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to promote the International Finance Facility.

John Healey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Treasury continue to promote the IFF through all relevant national and international fora.
	In addition to positive discussions at recent G7 Finance Ministers' meetings and the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, the Chancellor and his officials continue to discuss the proposal with nongovernmental organisations, faith and community groups and the business communityboth nationally and internationally.
	I also raised this with fellow Ministers from Members States of the OECD at a meeting in Paris last week.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative

Andy Reed: To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of reduction in commodity prices on the HIPC initiative.

John Healey: The UK believes that where countries have had to contend with external shockssuch as sharp falls in the price of key export commoditieswe should be generous in providing additional debt relief to promote a lasting exit from unsustainable debt.
	Moreover, the UK is seeking agreement that this additional debt relief or topping-up that HIPCs can receive when completing the HIPC initiative should exclude additional bilateral voluntary debt relief, to ensure fairer burden sharing between creditors and provide truly additional relief to HIPCs. This important change in the rules could provide a further US $1 billion in debt relief.
	The Government also believes we must be much more cautious about the forecasts we use to calculate debt sustainability. Optimistic assumptions about future growth and exports often do not reflect the reality many countries faceand unnecessarily restrict the amount of debt relief we can provide.

Capita

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2003, Official Report, columns 66162W, on Capita, if he will give the (a) start and finish date, (b) value, (c) evaluation mechanism for successful delivery and (d) penalty charges for failure to deliver for each contract; whether penalty charges have been incurred; what the service level agreements were; what the contract numbers were; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: It has been drawn to my attention that there were errors in my earlier answers about Capita of 13 March 2002, Official Report, column 1113W, and 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 662W. I apologise for this earlier inaccuracy, which I very much regret.
	The following information is given separately in respect of each of the Chancellor's Departments.
	HM Treasury
	In my earlier answers I stated that the Treasury had placed work with Capita under a single framework agreement for external recruitment with no defined value. At that time, no such framework agreement was in place: service orders were therefore being placed individually at a total cost of 170,847 (excluding VAT) in 200102. Spending during 200203 was 279,697 (excluding VAT). Details of the seventeen orders during this period are given in the following table. For reasons of commercial confidentiality it is not possible to list individual contract values. Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies, ((a) and (b)).
	Delivery is assessed through internal mechanisms for review of the staff recruited. No penalty clauses or service level agreements were put in place: service requirements were specified for each piece of work, ((c) and (d)).
	
		
			 Title of post Start date Completion date 
		
		
			 HR consultant 27 May 2002 27 June 2002  
			 Customer Relations Manager 6 March 2002 12 April 2002  
			 Customer Relations Advisor 11 July 2002 2 August 2002  
			 Accounting Policies Manager and Accountancy Advisor 7 May 2002 7 June 2002  
			 Head of information services 25 July 2002 9 September 2002  
			 HR Team Leader and HR Diversity Officer 26 November 2002 10 January 2003  
			 Quality Manager 17 June 2002 19 July 2002  
			 Head of Learning, Skills and Development 9 January 2003 3 February 2003  
			 Development Consultant 16 January 2003 28 February 2003  
			 Gold System Manager 22 January 2003 13 February 2003  
			 Website Editor 22 January 2003 14 February 2003  
			 Project and Programme Managers and Knowledge Manager 29 January 2003 28 February 2003  
			 PA to Managing Director 3 February 2003 28 February 2003  
			 Senior Programmer/Analyst 24 February 2003 21 March 2003  
			 Policy Analysts 26 February 2003 4 April 2003  
			 Senior Policy Analyst 28 March 2003 25 April 2003  
			 Second Permanent Secretary Managing Director, Budget and Public Finances and Head of Government Economics Service 16 April 2003 20 May 2003  
		
	
	Inland Revenue (IR)
	IR has two competitively procured management consultancy framework arrangements with Capita. One starts on the 1 April 2002 and runs until 30 September 2003. The other runs from 1 September 2002 until 29 February 2004. Neither contract has yet been used by IR. Accordingly, no IR contract values are associated with these arrangements, ((a) and (b)).
	Evaluation criteria will be drawn up for each requirement under the framework, (c).
	Neither penalty clauses or Service Level Agreements are associated with these frameworks. The requirement will be stated in the order/contract for each piece of work and the supplier will be judged on their ability to meet that requirement, (d).
	H.M. Customs and Excise HMCE
	Within the following broad headings, during 200203, HMCE have awarded the following work to Capita under one of IR's management consultancy framework agreements. The start and finish dates for the individual contracts could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Maximum return on Investment Training
	Membership Subscription
	Promoting Flexible Working Practices
	Managing Change Training
	e-Learning Training
	Leadership Training
	GORS Selection Interview Training
	Training Administration Introduction
	NLP Training
	IT Tests
	Talent Spotting
	Professional Skills for SEC
	Business Writing
	Taking Responsibility Training
	Civil Service Reform Training
	AA/AO Assessment Tests
	Training Evaluation
	Legal Trainees
	Fast Stream Recruitment
	Advanced Assertiveness for Managers Training
	Complaints Training
	Leadership Training
	Positive Image Training
	Assistant Print Buyer
	Access to Personal Information Training
	Time Management Training
	Data Protection Training
	Belfast Building Work
	Diagnostic Internal Communications Manager
	Feedback
	RAS Helpline
	Thinking on your feet
	GLS Lawyers Recruitment
	Human Resources Manager
	Communication Training
	Internal Communications Manager
	Effective Middle Management
	Human Resources
	Customer Contact Centre Advisor
	Instant RecruitmentEO
	In House Training (Feedback Skills)
	Selection Test
	Interviewing: The Selection Techniques
	In house training (Coaching)
	Diversity in the Civil Service
	For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it is not possible to list individual contract values. Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies. In total, the value for the services listed is 238,097 (excluding VAT), ((a) and (b)).
	Evaluation criteria were drawn up for each requirement under the Framework. The information required under detailed analyses (c) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Office of Government Commerce OGC
	To clarify my earlier answers, Capita Property Consultancy and two other consultancy companies were appointed to provide property related advice and services under the terms of a competitively tendered framework agreement from 16 August 2001 to 15 August 2004, with the option to extend for a further two years. At time of posting the tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Community, the estimated total cost of the agreement was 200,000 per annum. However, no spend has yet been made through the framework, ((a) and (b)).
	The evaluation mechanism for successful delivery is covered by OGC buying. solutions customer care programme that comprises customer feedback on overall quality of service provider (understanding of requirement, speed of response, quality of administration and timescales met), (c).
	Penalty clauses do not form part of the terms and conditions of the framework agreement, (d.)
	In addition, during 200102, the OGC placed individual service orders with Capita to the value of 159,170 (excluding VAT). And during 200203, OGC used one Capita consultant under a contract. The contract with Capita was concluded in May 2002 when the consultant was subsequently employed by OGC on a fixed term contract. The total sum paid to Capita over the 200203 period was 46, 519 (excluding VAT), ((a) and (b)).
	Neither penalty clauses or a Service Level Agreement were appropriate for this contract, (c.)
	Nevertheless, the evaluation of the value for money for the payment was on the basis of the successful achievement of the objectives set for the programme of work to which the individual contributed, (d).

Child Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the terms of reference and timescale are for the review of the effectiveness of the national child care strategy in ensuring an adequate supply of affordable child care, as indicated in the Budget Statement.

Dawn Primarolo: We will announce details in due course. The review will involve dialogue with family and parent groups and voluntary organisations.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: Under section 38 of the Bank of England Act 1998, it is a criminal offence to fail to provide information, or to provide false or misleading information, to the Bank of England. Improper disclosure of information received in the exercise of functions conferred by the Bank of England Act 1998 is a criminal offence under Schedule 7 to that Act.
	The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 created the following criminal offences:
	(1) Carrying on a regulated activity in the United Kingdom without being authorised or exempt under that Act (section 23)
	(2) The making of a false claim to be, or falsely holding oneself out as, an authorised or exempt person (section 24)
	(3) The communication of an invitation or inducement to engage in a financial services activity, except where that communication is made by, or approved by, a person who is authorised under that Act (section 25)
	(4) Where the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has required an authorised person to transfer assets to a trustee, any release of or dealing in those assets by the trustee otherwise than with the consent of the FSA (section 48)
	(5) Breach of an FSA order prohibiting an individual from performing functions in relation to regulated activities (section 56)
	(6) Failure to deliver a copy of listing particulars to the registrar of companies (section 83)
	(7) The offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom before a prospectus is published (where publication is required by listing rules) (section 85)
	(8) The issue in the United Kingdom of an advertisement in connection with a listing application without the approval or authorisation of the competent authority (section 98)
	(9) Failure to comply with a requirement to provide information or a document imposed by the FSA, failure to comply with a requirement imposed by an investigator appointed by the FSA, provision of false or misleading information or the obstruction of an investigation or the exercise of rights conferred by a warrant issued under the Act (section 177)
	(10) Failure to notify the FSA of a change of control over an authorised person or proceeding with a change of control without FSA authorisation (section 191)
	(11) Breach of a prohibition or restriction imposed by the Office of Fair Trading on carrying on business relating to consumer credit in the United Kingdom (sections 203 and 204)
	(12) The making of a false claim to be, or falsely holding oneself out as, a person who may carry on regulated activities without being authorised by the FSA by virtue of membership of a designated professional body (section 333)
	(13) Provision by an authorised person of false or misleading information to an auditor or actuary who is appointed under or as a result of the Act (section 346)
	(14) Improper disclosure or use of information received in the exercise of functions conferred by the Act (sections 351 and 352)
	(15) Failure by a director of an insurer to notify the FSA of a general meeting at which a resolution for the voluntary winding up of the insurer will be proposed (section 366)
	(16) Misleading statements or practices which relate to certain financial services (section 397)
	(17) Provision of false or misleading information to the FSA (section 398)
	(18) Misleading the Office of Fair Trading (section 399)
	(19) Failure by an unauthorised UK firm to comply with the procedural provisions of the Act relating to the carrying on of regulated activities outside the UK (Schedule 3)
	(20) Failure by a firm established in an EEA State (other than the UK) to notify the FSA of an intention to carry on regulated activities in the UK (Schedule 4)
	(21) Failure to attend or give evidence before the Financial Services and Markets Tribunal (Schedule 13)
	The Finance Act 2000 created the following criminal offences:
	(1) The possession and sale etc. of unmarked tobacco or the use of premises for sale of unmarked tobacco (sections 8G and 8H of theTobacco Products Duty Act 1979, as amended by section 14)
	(2) Being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of income tax (section 144)
	(3) Intentionally to falsify, conceal, destroy or otherwise dispose of a document which is the subject of a production order (section 20BB of the Taxes Management Act 1970, as amended by section 149)
	(4) Being knowingly concerned in the evasion of the climate change levy (paragraph 62 of Schedule 6)
	(5) Misstatement by false document for the purpose of the climate change levy, conduct involving evasions or misstatements relating to the climate change levy and preparations for the evasion of the climate change levy (paragraphs 93 to 95 of Schedule 6)
	The Finance Act 2001 made being knowingly concerned in, or taking steps with a view to, the fraudulent evasion of the aggregates levy, using a false document for purposes connected with the aggregates levy, conduct involving misstatements or evasions of the aggregates levy and preparations for evasion of the aggregates levy criminal offences (paragraphs 1 to 4 of Schedule 6). Under section 18 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, it is a criminal offence to contravene a direction given by the Secretary of State which prohibits disclosure of information for the purposes of specified overseas criminal proceedings. Section 35 of the Tax Credits Act 2002 creates the criminal offence of being knowingly concerned in any fraudulent activity undertaken with a view to obtaining payments of a tax credit.

Debt Restructuring Mechanism

Tony Colman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress at the Spring Meeting of the IMF on the introduction of the legal framework of the sovereign debt restructuring mechanism.

John Healey: At the Spring Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) on 12 April, ministers discussed the report of the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund on a Statutory Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism. The conclusion of that discussion is set out in the IMFC communique released on 12 April as:
	The Committee welcomes the work of the IMF in developing a concrete proposal for a statutory sovereign debt restructuring mechanism (SDRM) and expresses its appreciation for the IMF management and staffs efforts. The extensive analysis and consultation undertaken in developing the proposal have served to promote better understanding of the issues to be addressed in bringing about orderly resolution of crises. The Managing Director's report sets out the current position. The Committee, while recognizing that it is not feasible now to move forward to establish the SDRM, agrees that work should continue on issues raised in its development that are of general relevance to the orderly resolution of financial crises. These issues include inter-creditor equity considerations, enhancing transparency and disclosure, and aggregation issues. The IMF will report on progress at the Committee's next meeting.

Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the population of working age was in work in each of the last 30 years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Frank Field, dated 6 May 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment rates. I am replying in his absence. (110689)
	The attached table gives the information requested for the three month periods ending May of each year from 1984 to 2002. The latest available estimates, for the three month period ending February 2003 are also given. These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are seasonally adjusted. This information is not available on a consistent basis for prior to 1984.
	
		Employment rates(1) for people of working(2) ageUnited Kingdom, spring and winter quarters -- Seasonally adjusted
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Spring  
			 1984 68.8 
			 1985 69.6 
			 1986 69.7 
			 1987 70.4 
			 1988 72.7 
			 1989 74.5 
			 1990 74.9 
			 1991 73.2 
			 1992 71.2 
			 1993 70.3 
			 1994 70.7 
			 1995 71.2 
			 1996 71.8 
			 1997 72.7 
			 1998 73.3 
			 1999 73.7 
			 2000 74.4 
			 2001 74.6 
			 2002 74.4 
			   
			 Winter  
			 200203 74.6 
		
	
	(1) Working age people in employment as a percentage of the working age population.
	(2) Men aged 1664 and women aged 1659.
	Note:
	These Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates have been interim-adjusted to take account of the recent Census 2001 results.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Funding

Anthony Steen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the schemes which have been allocated funding from the 25 million earmarked following the 2002 Spending Review over three years starting in 200304 for services delivered in partnership with the voluntary sector to help parents improve their parenting skills.

Paul Boateng: A consultation document discussing the Government's proposed approach to the 25 million Parenting Fund will be published shortly.

Insurance Premium Tax

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to alter the rate of insurance premium tax.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's taxation plans are announced in my right hon. Friend's annual Budget.

Iraq (Debt)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what economic terms he plans to set out regarding the repayment of Iraq's debt to the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what terms of (a) relief, (b) restructuring and (c) rescheduling of Iraq's debt he plans to propose in the Paris Club; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The UK supports a full assessment by the IMF and the World Bank of Iraq's economic potential, needs and obligations. In the light of that assessment the UK will seek a fair and sustainable solution to Iraq's debt, including to the UK, at the Paris Club of official creditors.

Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

Rachel Squire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the rules which reduce the amount of UK grants and funds awarded to the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council when it gains additional EU funding.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 7 May 2003
	Government policy is that UK public spending financed from the EC Budget is subject to normal public sector budgeting rules. This reflects the fact that UK taxpayers have an interest in spending on programmes funded from the EC Budget being spent in a way which is consistent with national priorities.
	Departments have therefore in general needed budgetary cover for spending funded from the EC Budget, including spending on research and development. To improve incentives, however, a recent review has resulted in changes to the public sector budgeting rules, so that from 200304 departments which receive income from the EC Budget for commercially- or competitively-let research contracts will be able to offset half of their income from qualifying programmes against spending within their departmental expenditure limit.

Savings

Helen Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluations he has made on the benefit to low income families of measures to promote savings.

Ruth Kelly: The Government recognise the importance of saving and assets in providing security in times of adversity; independence and opportunity throughout life; and comfort in retirement. The Government's saving strategy is focused on:
	improving the environment for saving, with macroeconomic stability and an efficient and well-regulated market in financial services; creating the right incentives for saving by ensuring that the tax and benefit system does not unfairly penalise savers and by assisting those on low incomes;
	empowering individuals with financial information, improved access to advice, and simpler and easier to understand savings products; and
	developing saving products suitable for each stage in a person's life cycle. As the scale of saving increases, proceeds from one product may be rolled into the next, helping people to progress up the savings ladder.
	A number of Government policies are promoting saving among lower income groups. For example, ISAs have helped to make saving simple for ordinary investors to understand. One in five ISA holders are from lower income groups compared with one in seven who had either a TESSA or PEP. The Saving Gateway is aimed at low-income individuals and offers a transparent incentive to save through a government-funded match. The Saving Gateway is currently being piloted and independent evaluation will assess its effect on saving behaviour. The Government are also committed to strengthening the saving habit of future generations. The Child Trust Fund will ensure all children born from September 2002 have an account set up for them into which an initial Government endowment of 250 will be paid. Children from the poorest families will receive an endowment of 500.

Stamp Duty

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the further consultations he is to have with business concerning stamp duty on lease contracts, as referred to in paragraph 5.90 of the 2003 Budget (HC 500).

Ruth Kelly: The lease duty consultation after Budget 2002 was very helpful in informing the proposed new lease duty structure, which incorporates many consultees' views. The Chancellor announced in Budget 2003 that he is happy for further consultation to take place on the proposed new structure. In order to facilitate this, a time-limited regulatory power has been incorporated in Finance Bill 2003 to allow a suitable alternative proposal to be put in place for the implementation of Stamp Duty Land Tax in December 2003. However, any alternative will only replace the current proposals if it can be shown to be a better way of achieving the same objectives. The Inland Revenue will convene further discussions shortly with representative organisations and with businesses who have expressed a particular interest in the proposals.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Age Discrimination

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to address the issue of age discrimination.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI is strongly and actively committed to diversity in its workforce. Age restrictions do not apply to DTI job advertisements or to selection criteria. We have adopted, or had already met, the recommendations in the Cabinet Office's Winning the Generation Game report and will continue to embed age diversity in all policies and processes as part of diversity mainstreaming. This includes from August 2002 giving all staff in the DTI below the Senior Civil Service the option of continuing to work to age 65.

North Sea Anti-dumping Convention

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what actions have been taken to amend the London Anti-Dumping Convention for the North Sea Region to enable carbon sequestration to take place in the geological formation following the extraction of gas and oil.

Brian Wilson: DTI, Defra, and FCO are jointly examining the London Dumping Convention 1972, the 1996 Protocol to that Convention, and the 1992 OSPAR Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic to assess their compatibility with the storage of carbon dioxide in subsea geological formations. The outcome will be summarised in the DTI Report of the Feasibility of CO2 Capture and Storage in the UK, expected early summer 2003. The Government intends to raise the issue of such storage before the appropriate forums under these Conventions.

Broadband

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure broadband is made available to all those living in Shropshire.

Stephen Timms: We expect to spend 1 billion over three years to 2006 to help bring broadband to primary and secondary schools, GPs, primary care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities. We are also developing strategies to aggregate public sector demand to reinforce the case for wider community access to broadband.
	I was pleased to see reports that Shropshire has provided broadband connection to all its 22 Libraries in February this year with support from the People Network Initiative, supported by the New Opportunities Fund.
	Through the 30 million Broadband Fund, my Department also supports satellite trials through the Remote Area Broadband Inclusion Trial (RABBIT). Shropshire receives support through this Trial, directed at giving rural SMEs experience of broadband.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she intends to reply to the letter to him dated 31 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms K. Grant.

Patricia Hewitt: I apologise for the delay in replying to my right hon. Friend's letter. It was not readily evident that my right hon. Friend's constituent raised issues that are within my Department's responsibility.
	However, I have now decided that they are for my Department and I will reply as soon as possible.

Imports (Sub-Saharan Africa)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what products imports from sub-Saharan Africa have grown since the implementation of the Everything but Arms agreement; by what margin; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: According to information published by HM Customs and Excise, the value of UK imports from sub-Saharan Africa increased, from 2000 to the year ending February 2003, in 36 out of 64 commodity groups. The value of UK imports and the percentage change, for those commodities that showed an increase, are given in the following table:
	
		UK imports of goods from sub-Saharan Africa(3)( million)
		
			 SITCDivision Commodity group(4) 2000 Year to February 2003 Change Percentage change 
		
		
			 02 Dairy products and birds' eggs 1.3 5.3 4.0 318.8 
			 03 Fish, (not marine mammals), crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic invertebrates and preparations thereof 93.9 130.9 37.0 39.4 
			 04 Cereals and cereal preparations 0.3 0.7 0.4 114.7 
			 05 Vegetables and fruit 301.6 375.9 74.3 24.7 
			 06 Sugar, sugar preparations and honey 167.3 219.2 51.8 31.0 
			 07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof 241.7 304.2 62.5 25.9 
			 08 Feeding stuff for animals not including unmilled cereals 2.0 2.6 0.5 24.9 
			 09 Miscellaneous edible products and preparations 2.7 3.7 0.9 34.2 
			 11 Beverages 81.7 123.2 41.6 50.9 
			 12 Tobacco and tobacco manufacturers 50.8 61.3 10.5 20.7 
			 21 Hides, skins and furskins, raw 7.9 9.9 1.9 24.6 
			 22 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruit 5.2 7.6 2.4 46.3 
			 27 Crude fertilisers other than those of division 56 and crude minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones) 41.8 48.8 7.0 16.7 
			 29 Crude animal and vegetable materials 28.3 40.0 11.7 41.4 
			 32 Coal, coke and briquettes 133.1 264.9 131.7 98.9 
			 33 Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials 43.1 51.7 8.6 19.9 
			 42 Fixed vegetable fats and oils; crude, refined or fractionated 3.6 4.4 0.8 21.0 
			 43 Animal and vegetable oils and fats, processed, and waxes of animal or vegetable origin 0.2 0.5 0.3 175.3 
			 51 Organic chemicals 3.6 7.1 3.5 98.8 
			 53 Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials 1.0 1.2 0.2 20.3 
			 54 Medicinal and pharmaceutical products 3.5 8.6 5.1 146.1 
			 55 Essential oils and resinoids and perfume materials; toilet, polishing and cleansing preparations 15.4 20.7 5.3 34.3 
			 56 Fertilizers, (other than those of group 272) 0.1 0.3 0.2 154.0 
			 57 Plastics in primary forms 1.6 2.3 0.7 43.7 
			 58 Plastics in non-primary forms 1.2 1.5 0.3 2.7 
			 63 Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) 36.5 42.9 6.4 17.5 
			 64 Paper, paperboard and articles of paper pulp; etc. 12.0 25.0 13.0 108.3 
			 66 Non-metallic mineral manufacturers 1,362.4 2,022.1 659.7 48.4 
			 72 Specialised industrial machinery 16.5 21.4 4.9 30.0 
			 74 General industrial machinery and equipment, NES and machine parts NES 75.4 95.9 20.5 27.2 
			 78 Road vehicles 105.9 315.8 209.9 198.3 
			 79 Other transport equipment 56.0 91.6 35.7 63.7 
			 82 Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, mattresses, supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings 61.6 65.5 3.9 6.4 
			 85 Footwear 2.4 3.7 1.3 56.1 
			 87 Professional, scientific and control instruments (and apparatus NES) 43.1 52.5 9.4 21.9 
			 89 Miscellaneous manufactured article NES 35.3 42.3 7.0 19.8 
			 Total imports  4,201.3 5.343.7 1,142.3 27.2 
		
	
	(3) Sub-Saharan Africa comprises the following countries: Mauritania, Bali, Burkina, Niger, Chad, Cape Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, St. Helena, Angola, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Seychelles, British Indian Ocean Territory, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, Mayotte, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho.
	(4) Commodities are grouped according to Divisions of the Standard International Trade Classification, revision 3.
	Note:
	NES: Not elsewhere specified.

Health and Safety at Work

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce a bill that will remove Crown Immunity from liability under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Nick Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government will seek a legislative opportunity, when parliamentary time allows, to remove Crown immunity from statutory health and safety enforcement.
	In the meantime the Health and Safety Executive continues to enforce health and safety requirements in Crown bodies and applies the Crown censure procedure, where but for Crown immunity, prosecution would have been justified.

Iraq

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contracts have been awarded related to the reconstruction of Iraq; of those, how many have been awarded to (a) US and (b) UK companies; what the total value is of contracts awarded; and what percentage have gone to (i) US and (ii) UK companies.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 6 May 2003
	The US Government has let a number of contracts to US firms, mainly through US AID and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Information on these contracts is available on the Trade Partners UK website, with full details on US Government websites, including US AID. The main US AID reconstruction contract was awarded to Bechtel on 17 April. We are supporting efforts by UK companies to win sub-contracts but companies are not obliged to inform us if and when they win contracts.

Research Councils

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to undertake a review of the work of the Medical Research Council following the report of the Science and Technology Committee published on 24 March, HC132.

Patricia Hewitt: The MRC is highly renowned around the world for its track record in promoting excellent medical research. We currently have no plans to carry out a review of the MRC following the Select Committee report. We are however reviewing the Select Committee's report and we will make a detailed response during May.

Research Councils

Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will review the arrangement whereby the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council has its income from UK grants and funds reduced when it gains additional EU funding.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 7 May 2003
	UK public spending financed from the EU's Budget is subject to normal public sector budgeting rules. This reflects the fact that UK taxpayers have an interest in spending on programmes funded from the EU's Budget being spent in a way which is consistent with national priorities.
	Departments and their sponsored bodies, including PPARC, have therefore in general needed budgetary cover for spending funded from the EU's Budget, including spending on research and development. To improve incentives, however, a recent review has resulted in changes to the public sector budgeting rules, so that from 200304 departments and their sponsored bodies including PPARC which receive income from the EU's Budget for commercially- or competitively-let research contracts will be able to offset half of their income from qualifying programmes against spending within their departmental expenditure limit.

Radiocommunications Agency/Oftel

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed by (a) the Radiocommunications Agency and (b) Oftel in each of the last five years; and what the annual budget was in each of those years in each case.

Patricia Hewitt: Radiocommunications Agency
		
			 Year ended 31 March Staff employed (average) Staff costs 000 
		
		
			 1998 509 15,653 
			 1999 492 16,380 
			 2000 502 16,256 
			 2001 535 17,786 
			 2002 573 20,101 
		
	
	Note:
	'Staff costs' is actual expenditure on staff including salaries, social security costs, and early retirement costs, as shown in the Agency's published Annual Report and Accounts.
	
		Office of Telecommunications
		
			 Year ended 31 March Staff employed (actual) Staff costs 000 
		
		
			 1998 176 6,097 
			 1999 181 6,783 
			 2000 195 7,671 
			 2001 208 9,401 
			 2002 236 10,741 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual report and accounts

SARS

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to support businesses operated or owned by people of Chinese origin which deal directly with the public, with specified reference to (a) restaurants and (b) shops, to combat the effect of public concern over the issue of SARS; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 7 May 2003
	The Government are striving to combat the effects of SARS, taking the steps described to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 28 April 2003, Official Report, colums 3841.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister for Women what steps she is taking to ensure that Iraqi women play a full part in the leadership of Iraq.

Patricia Hewitt: The UK Government is a strong supporter of UN Security Council Resolution 1,325 which emphasises the importance of the inclusion of women into all aspects of post conflict reconstruction and peace operations, and strongly supports its effective implementation in post conflict Iraq. As Minister for Women I am extremely concerned that Iraqi women play a full role in the reconstruction and leadership of their country. Together with colleagues across Government I am taking several initiatives to fulfil this aim, these include:
	An ongoing dialogue with Iraqi women exiles,
	Awareness raising within the Office for Reconstruction and Development (ORHA) on the importance of promoting the involvement of women in all aspects of the reconstruction of Iraq,
	Nomination of female participants at meetings to discuss the Interim Iraqi Administration (IIA),
	Active encouragement of UK NGOs in this process,
	Use of Freedom TV to encourage Iraqi women to participate in reconstruction, Plans for a women's conference to feed into the creation of the IIA,
	Secondment of a UK government gender equality expert to work in ORHA.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Correspondence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many acknowledgement letters and cards were dispatched by his Department in each year since 1997 for which figures are available; and what the estimated average cost was per letter and card.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: The Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997 created six new offencesinvolving failure to report material changes of circumstances and making false statements. These offences were re-enacted in modified form in the Social Security (Fraud) Act 2001. S.5 of the 1997 Act created a further offence of failure to comply with a requirement to produce documents and information required under the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
	The Social Security Act 1998 modified a previously existing offence of breach of regulations and created a new offence of fraudulent evasion of contributions (sections 60 and 61).
	The Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 created offences in three areas. False statements in applications to register stakeholder pension schemes (s.2); fraudulent evasion of employers payments to personal pension schemes (s.9(12)) and a substituted offence for s.49(8) of the Pensions Act 1995 of fraudulent evasion of the deductions from employees' earnings for contributions to pensions (s.10).
	The Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 created three offences of making or causing false statements to be made and failing to comply with a request for information required by regulations.
	The Social Security (Fraud) Act 2001 added an offence to s.111 of the Social Security Administration Act in respect of failure to comply with requirements to allow authorised officers to have electronic access to records.

Disability Living Allowance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what studies he is conducting into whether potential loss of disability living allowance inhibits potential returners to work.

Nick Brown: Disability Living Allowance (DLA) provides a contribution towards the extra costs that severely disabled people face as a result of their disabilities, and entitlement is based solely on a person's need for personal care and/or their walking difficulties. DLA is payable to people both in and out of work, and therefore does not disincentivise recipients wishing to take up work.
	We recognise that, for many disabled people, work is made possible through receiving additional support and we make no assumptions that the severity of a person's disability has changed simply because they are undertaking work. Decision makers receive specific guidance that awards of DLA should only be altered where a person's care or mobility needs have changed.

Employment Action Teams

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  where peripatetic employment action team advisers are present in Newcastle upon Tyne; how regularly they use these locations; and if he will estimate the number of users at each location;
	(2)  what internal estimates of working age employment rates in each ward of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne informed the selection of wards for employment action team status.

Nick Brown: Information on the outreach locations used by the Newcastle Action Team for Jobs, how regularly they are used, and their average number of customers is in the table.
	
		
			 Ward/Outreach location Number of days per week action team advisers attend the location Average number of customers attendingper week 
		
		
			 Walker   
			 B  Q car park(5) 1 6 
			 Walker Library 2 10 
			 East2Work Shop, Shields Rd 2 16 
			
			 Byker   
			 East End Library 1 4 
			 East2Work shop, Byker 2 19 
			 Brinkburn Centre 1 5 
			 Morrisons(5) 1 10 
			
			 Monkchester   
			 Roman Avenue(5) 1 7 
			 Walker Library 1 6 
			 East2Work 3 20 
			   
			 West City   
			 Ron Eager Centre 0.5 5 
			 ESOL, Nelson Street 0.5 2 
			 Angela Centre 1 6 
			 City Jobcentre Plus 2 10 
			 Cruddas Park Library 1 8 
			 Anchor Programme Centre, Market St 0.5 3 
			 City Library 2 9 
			 CSV Training 0.5 5 
			
			 Elswick   
			 Workfinder Office, Benwell 1 3 
			 Computer Gym 1 5 
			 Civic Centre 1 4 
			 Elswick Pool 1 3 
			 Westgate College 1 3 
			 Action4Employment 1 4 
			
			 Benwell   
			 Workfinder Office, Benwell 1.5 12 
			 Cornerstones 1 7 
			 St Josephs Refugee Group 1 5 
			 John Martey Centre 1 4 
			 Newcastle College(5) 1 6 
			 Benwell Library 1 8 
			 West Road Jobcentre Plus 1 15 
			
			 Scotswood   
			 Workfinder Office, Benwell 1 6 
			 Community caf 0.5 4 
			 West Road Jobcentre Plus 0.5 5 
			 Valley View Nursery 0.5 3 
			 Scotswood Support Centre 0.5 9 
			
			 Woolsington   
			 Newbiggin Hall Library 1 10 
			 Gala Fields 2 11 
			 Roycroft Centre 0.5 10 
			 Detached Youth Project 0.5 8 
			 Newbiggin Hall Shops(5) 1 5 
			 Fawdon   
			 Park View Sports Centre 1 5 
			 Fawdon Community Centre 2 12 
			 Peacock Pub Car Park(5) 1 3 
			 Fawdon Library 1 5 
			
			 Kenton   
			 Cowgate Leisure Centre 1 8 
			 St Cuthbert's Church 0.5 3 
			 Montague Library 1 6 
			 Kenton Library 1 6 
		
	
	(5) Mobile unit
	Source
	Jobcentre Plus
	In 2001, Newcastle upon Tyne was chosen as an Action Team for Jobs area because the local authority was one of the 30 with the lowest labour market participation in Britain.
	The selection of wards within the area to be covered by the Newcastle Action Team was based on the proportion of the working age population not in employment. The wards targeted had a working age employment rate of 58.5 per cent. or below at the time of selection (April 2001).
	The Office for National Statistics does not produce employment rates down to individual wards from the Labour Force Survey. For this specific purpose a one off exercise was carried out to calculate data at ward level in action team areas. At ward level there is a larger margin of error and so a combination of dataincluding benefit recipient datawas used to rank wards in Action Team LADs. The table shows the employment rates for wards in the City of Newcastle local authority area derived from this exercise.
	
		City of Newcastle local authority area -- Percentage
		
			 Ward Employment rate 
		
		
			 Monkchester 30.7 
			 West City 30.8 
			 Walker 31.5 
			 Byker 34.8 
			 Elswick 39.5 
			 Benwell 40.5 
			 Scotswood 43.0 
			 Woolsington 47.6 
			 Fawdon 53.8 
			 Kenton 56.8 
			 Blakelaw 59.2 
			 Newburn 59.2 
			 Denton 59.9 
			 Walkergate 59.9 
			 Fenham 62.9 
			 Wingrove 64.1 
			 Moorside 66.1 
			 Lemington 67.8 
			 Sandyford 71.8 
			 Grange 73.3 
			 Heaton 77.9 
			 Westerhope 77.9 
			 Castle 80.9 
			 Dene 82.2 
			 Jesmond 87.3 
			 South Gosforth 88.2

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee on social security for migrant workers, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

Malcolm Wicks: Detailed information concerning the membership of the Committee is published in the Official Journal of the EU.
	The Advisory Committee on Social Security for Migrant Workers has met on only one occasion since January 2002, that being on 2 October 2002.
	On the agenda for that meeting were the Chairman's report on changes to Community legislation, a report on the work of the Administrative Commission by its Chairman, a report on the decisions of the European Court of Justice since the previous meeting, a report on the implementation of the EU/Swiss Agreement on Free Movement of Persons, a proposed amendment of a Recommendation of the Administrative Commission of 12 December 1984, a report on developments in the Technical Commission and a report on the state of play in the process of enlargement of the EU.
	The Committee has no power to make formal decisions.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee on equal opportunities for women and men, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	An official from the Women and Equality Unit at the DTI attends the EU Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for women and men. An official from the Equal Opportunities Commission also attends, as does an official from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
	The EU advisory committee has met three times since January 2002. It convened on 20 February; 19 June; and 910 October.
	The 20 February meeting discussed the following items:
	The European Employment strategydraft opinion on the European Employment Strategy.
	A new Directive on gender discrimination, working group meeting on 9 January 2002draft opinion on a new Directive.
	The Gender mainstreaming, working group meeting on 3 December 2001.
	Draft opinion on gender mainstreaming in Community policies.
	Follow-up of the opinions of the Advisory Committee 2001.
	The work programme of the Advisory Committee 2002.
	The 19 June meeting discussed the following items:
	The working group on the Convention and the future of Europe-draft opinion on the Convention-for adoption.
	The working group on Gender Budgeting-a report from the meeting on 18 June.
	Follow-up opinions of the Advisory Committee.
	Contribution from the Advisory Committee to the European Round Table on Poverty and Social Exclusion, Aarhus, Denmark on 1718 October 2002.
	Women and decision-making: Input from members/observers on the priority theme of the framework strategy for gender equality for 2003 women and decision-making
	The feasibility study on a European Gender Institute.
	A meeting on gender issues with candidate countries: A draft programme for a meeting with candidate countries, planned to be held on 10 October 2002.
	The 910 October meeting discussed the following items:
	The working group on the Convention and the future of Europe-draft opinion on the Convention.
	Follow up of the social inclusion process-draft opinion on the next round on the National Action Plan on social inclusion.
	Follow up on opinions of the Advisory Committee.
	Meeting with candidate countries: Exchange of views regarding achievements and problems in relation to legislation, national machinery awareness raising initiatives, current developments on gender mainstreaming.
	The EU advisory committee on equal opportunities for women and men is not a decision-making body. The Committee's remit is to help the Commission formulate and implement Community measures aimed at promoting equal opportunities for women and men and to encourage the continuous exchange opportunities for women and men and to encourage the continuous exchange of information on experience gained and policies and measures undertaken in the fields in question between the member states and the various actors involved. It produces Opinions and Inputs, whose purpose is advisory only. Member states are not politically or legally committed to these documents.
	I will place the minutes to the EU Advisory Committee Meeting in the Library as they become available.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU technical committee for the implementation of regulations concerning the free movement and employment of workers, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

Malcolm Wicks: The officials who attend Technical Commission are the Senior Executive Officer Manager and an Executive Officer from the International Pension Centre, together with a specialist from the Department's IT provider.
	Since January 2002, meetings have been held on 56 March 2002; 4 June 2002; 2425 September 2002; 3 December 2002 and 56 March 2003.
	Agenda Items considered were:
	Clearance times for pension claims
	Development of COWEBS portal (improved web access for migrant workers)
	Progress on electronic data exchanges (registration/identity data, pension claims and reimbursement of health claims)
	Updating and modernising the use of standard electronic message types for the transfer of data
	EU Health Card
	Preparation of Annual Report for Administrative Commission
	Technical Amendments to Administrative Decision 118 (early exchange of insurance records in pension claims)
	Enlargement of EUeffect on Technical Commission work
	A number of other technical matters relating to the maintenance of existing electronic exchanges between institutions
	The Technical Commission has no power to make formal decisions.

Investments

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of whether in the (a) short, (b) medium and (c) long term the recent falls in equity performance will lead to consumers buying cash investments instead of equity investments.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	Recent declines in equity prices have seen a fall in retail purchases of equity investments. The declines in equity prices should be viewed in the context of the historically higher return on equities over the longer term compared to other mainstream investments. Over time, stock market performance is likely to reflect the underlying performance of the economy. The fundamental drivers of a successful economyhigh employment, low inflation and low interest ratesare in place.

New Deal

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands have found permanent employment through the New Deal each year since 1998.

Nick Brown: holding answer 7 May 2003
	The information is in the table.
	
		Number of people who moved into sustained employment(6) through the New Deal for Young People
		
			  Coventry West Midlands 
		
		
			 1998 280 3,940 
			 1999 600 7,740 
			 2000 410 7,560 
			 2001 290 6,810 
			 2002 330 6,150 
			 Total 1,920 32,200 
		
	
	(6) Sustained employment refers to jobs that last for at least thirteen weeks.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	New Deal evaluation database.

New Deal

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what monitoring takes place to ensure that employers involved in the New Deal provide jobs of quality for the employees whom they accept.

Nick Brown: holding answer 7 May 2003
	Jobcentre Plus requires all employers interested in recruiting a New Deal employee under the New Deal Employment Option to sign an Employer Agreement, which outlines the quality criteria and terms and conditions relating to the recruitment of employees under New Deal.
	In addition, monitoring visits are undertaken by Jobcentre Plus staff and partner organisations at frequent intervals during the Option. These help to ensure that the work placement is running smoothly and that no discrepancies exist from that of the original notified vacancy including changes to duties, working hours, wage and expected duration and that the employee is receiving adequate supervision and mentoring.

Pensions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what policies his Department has for targeting Government information on pensions to groups in the workforce that traditionally have a low take-up rate of private pension provision.

Maria Eagle: The proposals outlined in our Green Paper Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement, (Cm 5677), published on 17 December 2002, aim to ensure that people are provided with the information they need to make informed choices about their retirement provision.
	The proposals include:
	Issuing automatic state pension forecasts to people who are not members of private pension schemes, starting in May 2003 with the self employed;
	Targeting pensions information at key life events when people might be most likely to think seriously about planning for their future;
	Making it easier for employers to promote the benefits of their pension scheme to prospective members by producing an FSA approved pension information pack;
	Requiring employers, who do not provide a pension, to provide employees with access to certain information or advice to help them plan for their retirement.
	We have also announced our intention to set up an employer task force with a remit to promote employer led solutions to extend occupational and private pension provision.
	We are now concluding a wide-ranging consultation exercise in which we have sought views on these proposals. We have received more than 800 written responses and we will be setting out our plans in more detail in due course.
	In addition, the Department's current pensions awareness campaign, supported by a series of information guides, has been running since January 2001 and over two million guides have been issued so far. This has included direct marketing activity targeting groups with traditionally low take-up of private pension provision, including women, the self-employed, young people, and working-age people with no private pension.

Pensions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will work with the Inland Revenue to send out information to workers entering new permanent positions about the benefits of taking out private pension provision.

Maria Eagle: We are committed to encouraging people to consider their pension saving options. Everyone needs to be equipped to understand their financial choices and have access to the information they need to prepare for their retirement.
	The Green Paper Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement, (Cm 5677), recognised the vital part that the workplace plays in pension provision and set out the Government's proposals for working with employers to encourage and facilitate the provision of better pensions information to employees and prospective employees. This was a joint publication between the Department of Work and Pensions, HM Treasury and the Inland Revenue, demonstrating the close working relationship necessary between Government Departments to take forward the Government's agenda on pensions.
	Our proposals for new employees include:
	Targeting pensions information at this key life event when people might be most likely to think seriously about planning for their future.
	Making it easier for employers to promote the benefits of their pension scheme to prospective members by producing an FSA-approved pension information pack.
	We are now concluding a wide-ranging consultation exercise in which we have sought views on these proposals. We have received more than 800 written responses and we will be setting out our plans in more detail in due course.
	We will consider carefully any opportunities for the Department for Work and Pensions and the Inland Revenue to continue to work closely together in this area.

Pensions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will make an assessment of (a) whether and (b) to what extent price caps and regulation have an effect on the ability of pension companies to offer products to lower income groups, with particular reference to stakeholder products.

Maria Eagle: Following the Sandler Review, the Government published a consultation document Proposed product specifications for Sandler 'stakeholder' products in February 2003 that made proposals to provide people with more opportunities to save. As part of this work the Government have commissioned independent research into the impact of a charge cap on retail investment products. We will be responding to the results of the consultation in due course.

Pensions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of working-age (a) adults, (b) men and (c) women in the north west of England are members of a stakeholder pension plan.

Maria Eagle: Specific data on the number of individuals contributing to stakeholder pensions, including a break down by region, will not be available until later this year. However, latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) covering the United Kingdom, indicate that 1.25 million stakeholder pensions had been sold up to the end of December 2002, of which an estimated 97 per cent. had been bought for individuals of working age (comprising 56 per cent. men and 44 per cent. women). ABI figures show the number of stakeholder pension policies sold, not the number of individuals who have taken out a stakeholder pension. People are allowed to hold more than one stakeholder pension.

Return to Work Credit Scheme

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when he will extend the return to work credit scheme to the whole of the UK;
	(2)  whether he plans to exclude the pilot return to work credit from calculations for (a) housing and (b) council tax benefit;
	(3)  how many specialist disability advisers will be recruited to assist the employment of disabled people; and what core skills they will be expected to possess;
	(4)  how many pilot schemes under the Green Paper Pathway to Work will involve medical services delivered other than by the national health service.

Maria Eagle: Our consultation document 'Pathways to Work, Helping People into Employment' Cm 5690, sets out a strategy for enabling people with health problems and disabilities to move into work, and so become and remain independent.
	We are currently analysing the responses to the 'Pathways to Work' consultation. We will publish our response in due course.

Hospital Stays

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of (a) pensioners and (b) people on income support who will be helped by the Budget proposals regarding stays in hospital.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Over 20,000 pensioners and around 3,000 income support recipients aged under 60 are affected at any one time by reductions in their benefits as a result of a stay in hospital of between six and 52 weeks. All of these people will therefore benefit from the recent announcement which will change the rules so that hospital deductions in respect of certain benefits are made after a stay of 52 weeks in hospital.
	Notes:
	1. For pensioners, the estimate is based on September 2002 retirement pension administrative data. For people aged under 60, the estimate is based on the latest available income support data (November 2002).
	2. The above estimates represent the number of people who will benefit at any given time from changes on hospital deductions. It is not possible to estimate reliably the total number of people who will benefit from the recent rule changes over the course of a year.

Winter Fuel Payments

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of people aged 80 and over in (a) Cleethorpes constituency and (b) Grimsby constituency who will receive the increased winter allowance of 300.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. However, there are around 4,100 people in Cleethorpes constituency and 3,800 in Grimsby constituency who are aged 80 or over. If these people are entitled to a winter fuel payment, they will also be entitled to an additional payment.

Health and Safety at Work

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related deaths have occurred in each year since 1997; and who is responsible for investigating work-related incidents.

Nick Brown: The information on the number of work-related deaths which have occurred in each year since 1997, reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, is in the table:
	
		
			  Employee Self-employed Member of the public Total 
		
		
			 199697 207 80 367 654 
			 199798 212 62 393 667 
			 199899 188 65 369 622 
			 19992000 162 58 436 656 
			 200001 213 79 444 736 
			 200102 (7) 204 45 384 633 
			 200203(7),(8) 126 35 325 486 
		
	
	(7) Provisional
	(8) First nine months.
	Notes
	1. Figures refer to Great Britain, and planning years from 1 April to 31 March.
	2. Figures for members of the public include acts of suicide and trespass on railway systems. In 200102 such incidents accounted for 275 of the total fatal injuries to members of the public.
	HSE and local authorities are responsible for investigating work-related health and safety incidents which are reportable to them, according to the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Website

Sandra Gidley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission which company is contracted to manage the parliamentary website search engine; how many years this company has held the contract; how much has been paid to this company in each year for which figures are available; when the contract is up for renewal; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: The parliamentary website has two search facilities. The first is a search function supplied as part of the service provided by The Stationery Office Ltd., for the electronic publication of House of Commons publications. The company has provided the service since it was first launched in 1996 and most recently was awarded a five-year contract, with the possibility of extension for up to a further two years, from 1 April 2000. This service was modified in July last year, as part of the redesign of the Parliamentary website, by the provision of a new front end search menu and the inclusion of the ability to search across the remainder of material on the parliamentary website.
	The second relates to the more specialised searches that can be undertaken within the POLIS system. This system is due to be replaced by the end of 2004 and, as part of the tendering exercise that is already well under way, options for the replacement of the search facility will be evaluated. In both cases the search functions are part of a larger service and so it is not possible to identify the specific costs incurred in providing them. In any case, as a matter of policy, the House does not disclose the cost of individual contracts, which are commercially confidential.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Malaria

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contributions she has made to the control of malaria in Africa since the Abuja meeting on tropical disease in 2000.

Clare Short: DFID is committed to the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015, as well as to supporting the principles and targets set out at the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria held in Abuja in April 2000.
	At the 1998 G8 summit in Birmingham the UK Government pledged 60 million in support of malaria activities, and financial commitments since then have far exceeded this figure. Nearly 48 million has already been disbursed to the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative, and my Department has since reaffirmed our commitment to combating malaria by pledging $200 million over five years to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). DFID also supports malaria control activities at country-level through our bi-lateral country programmes, as well as globally through a number of means such as support to the Medical Research Council (MRC) and to the Malaria Consortium Resource Centre, developing knowledge to improve evidencebased interventions. Further investments have been made in the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and other initiatives to help find new low-cost malaria treatments, and to ensure these are made accessible to the poor.
	If drugs and commodities for malaria and other diseases are to be accessible to the poor, then it is also vital that health systems are strengthened to deliver these services safely and sustainably. Accordingly DFID focuses much of its health work on building and strengthening health systems and has committed over 1.5 billion since 1997 to this end.

Counselling Services

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what arrangements are made in her Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Clare Short: DFID has in-house staff counsellors in both its HQ offices in London and East Kilbride, who provide a service to all UK based staff at home and overseas. Staff appointed in country in our regional offices overseas can also access the service by e-mail or telephone if they wish.
	We are currently in the process of organising an enhanced counselling service in the form of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for all our staff in regional offices.
	The Department is committed to helping all its employees deal with their concerns both inside and outside the workplace.

Entertainment Costs

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she has entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Clare Short: I have not entertained Labour Members at public expense in the last 12 months.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress the International Financial Institutions Department within her Department has made on publication of a list of shame of creditors not complying with the HIPC process; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: My Department, together with HM Treasury, has pressed the World Bank and the IMF to take concrete action to secure the full participation of non-Paris Club creditors in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Several of these, including, both official bilateral creditors and commercial creditors have yet to deliver debt relief. In response to pressure from us the Bank and Fund now include in their HIPC progress reports details of those creditors who have yet to agree to deliver any HIPC relief. For most HIPC countries, the amounts of relief owed to them by non-Paris Club creditors are small, but the potential costs are much higher, in the form of penalty interest and legal fees. The World Bank and IMF staffs have intensified their discussion with non-participating creditors, and Libya, one of the largest such creditors, has now agreed to participate in the Initiative. Discussions continue with the other creditors.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what studies have been conducted to assess the (a) short-term and (b) medium-term economic requirements of Iraqi households.

Clare Short: With slowly improving security, UN agencies and NGOs are beginning to assess immediate humanitarian needs on the ground in Iraq.
	Most agency assessments are available from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) website at: www.agoodplacetostart.org
	As soon as practicable the World Bank in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund, UN and others plan to conduct a detailed needs assessment to collect baseline information relating to human development, infrastructure, economic policy needs, institutional capacity and resources.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the likely tax-base in Iraq.

Clare Short: No assessment has yet been made of the likely tax-base in Iraq. As soon as practicable the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund plan to conduct a detailed needs assessment to collect baseline information relating to the Iraqi economy.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the (a) vulnerability and (b) prospects for retention of agents for food distribution programmes in Iraq.

Clare Short: It is important to get a food distribution programme re-established as soon as possible. 16 million Iraqis depended on the Oil for Food Programme before the conflict and are therefore vulnerable to disruptions in food supply.
	Early indications from WFP and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade suggest that the food distribution network has, in those provinces that have been assessed, survived the conflict. In Basra province WFP has been able to retrieve the records of all 1.8 million beneficiaries of food rations. Assessments are underway in other governorates. It has been reported that many food agents want to resume work and have been reporting to distribution centres.

Primary Education/Gender Parity

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the Government will make meeting the millennium development goals on universal primary education and gender parity in access to primary education a priority at the G8 summit; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We continue to work with the G8 and other governments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for universal primary education by 2015 and gender parity by 2005. We are working to increase the effectiveness of bilateral resources by improving international co-ordination in support of high quality country-owned strategies, as set out for low-income countries in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and linked to national budget processes.
	The Fast Track Initiative, which includes all members of the G8 (except Russia), offers the potential to increase dialogue and improve donor harmonisation in the education sector. My Department will continue to work to make the initiative more effective.

Primary Education/Gender Parity

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with G8 governments regarding meeting the Millenium Development Goals on universal primary education and gender parity in access to primary and secondary education; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We continue to work with the G8 and other governments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for universal primary education by 2015 and gender parity by 2005. We are working to increase the effectiveness of bilateral resources by improving international co-ordination in support of high quality country-owned strategies, as set out for low-income countries in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and linked to national budget processes.

Venezuela

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) the USA, (b) the EU and (c) Spain regarding the restoration of full democracy and stability in Venezuela; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: My colleagues in the Foreign Office are in regular and extensive contact with EU partners and members of the Group of Friends of Venezuela supporting the Organisation of American States (OAS) facilitation efforts, in which they have stressed the importance of respect for the constitution and for democratic principles.

Venezuela

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with non-governmental organisations regarding working with Venezuelan authorities and NGOs to restore stability in Venezuela; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The British Embassy is in regular contact with local NGOs in Venezuela and provide support for a number of those NGOs.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has commissioned into the impact of detention on children in asylum seeking families.

Beverley Hughes: We have not commissioned any research into the impact of detention on children in asylum seeking families.

Asylum Seekers

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what powers he detains children who are seeking asylum.

Beverley Hughes: Families with children who are seeking asylum may be detained under the detention powers contained in paragraph 16 of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971. Detention in such cases would normally be used in the following circumstances: initially, while identity and basis of claim are being established; where there is a risk of failure to comply with the terms of temporary admission or release; or to effect removal from the United Kingdom. In addition, detention may be appropriate if it appears that the asylum claim is straightforward and capable of being decided quickly using fast-track procedures.
	Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are only ever detained in the most exceptional circumstances and then normally only overnight, with appropriate care, while alternative arrangements for their care and safety are made.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to encourage asylum seekers from Iraq living in the United Kingdom to return to their home country.

Beverley Hughes: We are working now to ensure that Iraqis can be assisted to return to their homeland as soon as practicable. Many Iraqis in the UK have skills which will be of value to the reconstruction of Iraq. The government are committed to helping clear the way for them to do so. We will work closely with the Iraqi communities in the UK and sector experts on voluntary return.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Asylum and Immigration cases were actioned by hon. Members in the last 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: The Home Office received a total of 33,895 written inquiries and representations from hon. Members on asylum and immigration cases during the period 1 April 200231 March 2003.

Badgers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the legal protection for badgers.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	Badgers are protected by the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, which makes it illegal to kill, injure or take badgers or to interfere with a badger sett. Interference with a sett includes blocking tunnels or damaging the sett in any way. Badgers are further protected from certain cruel acts by the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996.
	A detailed assessment of the status of the badger population was carried out by scientists at Bristol university and was published in 1997. This compared national surveys of badgers carried out before and after the introduction of the Protection of Badgers Act in 1992. The research showed a 77 per cent. increase in the badger population between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. The survey also reported a halving of the incidence of illegal digging of badger setts over the same period, and concluded that reduced persecution had allowed the badger population to recover.
	In view of this evidence, we believe that current legislation is making an effective contribution to the protection of badgers.

Road Traffic Offences

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to submit his proposals for new categories of offences for causing death by driving to public consultation; which proposals will be submitted for public consultation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce new categories of offences for causing death by driving; if he will list each new offence he is planning to introduce; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with other Departments about introducing new categories of offences for causing death by driving; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 28 April 2003
	The Home Office has been in discussion with the Department for Transport about existing road traffic offences, including those of causing death. We are currently considering the possibility of carrying out a review.

Correspondence

Mr. Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply substantively to the letter from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 30 January, concerning Lawrence Gimblett.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 1 May 2003
	A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 7 May 2003.

Forensic Science Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 24 February 2003, Official Report, column 315W, when the findings of the review into the Forensic Science Service will be published.

Bob Ainsworth: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham) on 23 July 2002, Official Report, column 1078W, the principal provider of forensic science services to the police, the Forensic Science Service, is currently subject to an independent review, which is looking at the delivery, performance and responsiveness of the Service and the ways in which we can maximise its contribution to the work of the police and through them to the wider criminal justice system.
	The findings of the results of the review will be made public after Home Office Ministers have given consideration to its recommendations and decided the best way forward for the organisation.

Prison Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 25 March 2003, Official Report, column 151W, what his estimate is of the total number of education hours lost throughout the Prison Service over the last 12 months due to staff shortages; and if he will estimate the financial cost of these lost hours.

Hilary Benn: Records of hours ordered and delivered are kept by individual prison establishments, but have not been centrally collected, collated or aggregated for the period in question. The costs of doing so would be disproportionate.

Red Squirrel

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on programmes run (a) by his Department and (b) by environmental organisations related to the preservation of red squirrel populations in each of the last five years.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department through English Nature have spent 125,602 over the past five years. The main projects have been:
	Thetford Forestgrey squirrel management and red squirrel reintroductions. Joint project with the Forestry Commission.
	Feasibility study for the development of a vaccine against squirrel parapoxvirus.
	Preparation of management plans for priority woodlands in northern England. Joint project with the Forestry Commission.
	Isle of Wight project. Partnership with Wight Wildlife, Forestry Commission and others to link fragmented woodland on the Isle of Wight to benefit squirrels.
	The Forestry Commission, who are the lead partners for the Red Squirrel Species Action Plan have spent the following amounts in activities related to enhancing the status of this species.
	
		000
		
			  FC England FR (GB)(9) 
		
		
			  
			  
			 199899 38.2 116.0 
			 19992000 48.3 95.5 
			 200001 46.6 78.5 
			 200102 52.8 32.6 
			 200203 73.2 12.0 
			 Total 259.1 334.6 
		
	
	(9) FR is a FB Agency of the FC
	Note:
	In addition the FC has grant aided the establishment of new woodlands to link fragmented woodland on the Isle of Wight. The expenditure was 81.6k in 200102 and 56.7k in 200203.

Rape Victims

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budgetary provision the Home Office has made to provide rape counselling and support services to match the change in the number of rape complainants resulting from the passage of the Sexual Offences Bill.

Hilary Benn: The Department has made no specific budgetary provisions regarding support services to rape victims as a result of the passage of the Sexual Offences Bill through Parliament. We are, however, currently considering whether there are ways in which further support could be provided generally to victims of sexual offences.

Special Advisers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the salary bill was for special advisers in his Department in 200203; and what it is expected to be in 200304.

David Blunkett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 45W.

Young Offenders

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reconviction rate of (a) youth offenders and (b) first time youth offenders was in (i) the UK, (ii) Tyne and Wear, (iii) South Tyneside and (iv) the Jarrow constituency in each year since 1997.

Hilary Benn: Reconviction rates for juvenile offenders since 1997 were most recently published in February 2003 in Home Office Online Report 18/03. The unadjusted reconviction rate for the first half of 1997 was 33.7 per cent. The rates for July 1999, July 2000 and first quarter 2001 are 38.2 per cent., 26.4 per cent. and 26.4 per cent. respectively. These rates exclude juveniles given custodial sentences.
	When comparing reconviction rates over time it is necessary to take account of the changing mix in the characteristic of offenders and the speeding up of justice. Unadjusted reconviction rates do not do this.
	For first time juvenile offenders the unadjusted reconviction rates for the first half of 1997, July 2000 and the first quarter of 2001 are 21.2 per cent., 19.1 per cent. and 12.4 per cent. respectively. July 1999 figures are not available.
	The reconviction rates relate to England and Wales only and do not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Information on regional and local rates are not available.

TRANSPORT

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

David Jamieson: The following are the provisions of Acts of Parliament which have been sponsored since 1997 by the Department for Transport or by its predecessors (in relation to transport) and which have either created criminal offences directly or provided for their creation by subordinate legislation:
	Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997
	Section 1 (unlawful entry into a temporary exclusion zone).
	Section 5 (provision for offences in respect of waste reception facilities at harbours).
	Section 10 (contravention of requirements related to moving of ships).
	Section 11 (offence relating to ships receiving trans-shipped fish).
	Section 16 (provision for an offence relating to compulsory insurance).
	Section 24 (provision for creation of an offence relating to the protection of wrecks outside UK waters).
	Schedule 1, paragraph 5 (offence relating to detention of ships).
	Finance Act 1997
	Schedule 3, paragraph 4 (using or keeping certain exempt vehicles on a public road).
	Greater London Authority Act 1999
	Section 180 (providing London local bus service without permit).
	Section 187(6) (contravention of condition of a London bus service permit).
	Section 234 (3) (intentionally altering etc. document to be produced to PPP Arbiter).
	Schedule 17, paragraph 7(2) (failure to provide name and address for the purpose of a penalty fare) and paragraph 9(2) (power to apply provisions regarding penalty charges to qualifying train services).
	Schedule 23, paragraph 25 (committing acts with intent to avoid payment under by a road user charging scheme), paragraph 26 (intentional obstruction of a person authorised to enter a motor vehicle by a charging authority) and paragraph 27 (unauthorised removal or interference with an immobilisation notice or intentional obstruction of authorised persons).
	Schedule 24, paragraph 16 (intentionally providing false or misleading information in connection with application for workplace parking levy licence) and paragraph 31 (workplace parking levy: intentionally obstructing person exercising rights of entry to premises).
	Transport Act 2000
	Section 3 (provision of air traffic services without a licence).
	Section 18 (application of Fair Trading Act 1973 provisions including false and misleading information).
	Section 25 (failure to provide information or destroying information etc).
	Section 38 (failure to comply with directions in interests of national security and wrongful disclosure).
	Section 46 (failure to provide information or destroying information etc).
	Section 56 (application of Competition Act 1985 provisions to shadow directors including prohibition on dealing in share options).
	Section 71 (failure to provide information or destroying information etc).
	Section 82 (non compliance with regulations relating to assessment and collection of air navigation charges).
	Section 93 (failure to comply with directions providing for control of aviation assets in time of hostilities etc).
	Section 94 (provision for offences arising out of orders for possession of aerodromes etc in times of hostilities etc).
	Section 101 (false statements).
	Section 143(6) (prohibited disclosure of information to local transport authorities).
	Section 144(11) and (12) (provision for offences relating to penalty charges for bus lane contraventions).
	Section 148 (failure to provide half-price travel to persons holding travel concession permits).
	Section 173(5) and (8) (committing acts to avoid payment under road user charging scheme).
	Section 173(6) and (8) (making or using false documents with the intent to avoid payment under road user charging scheme).
	Section 173(7) and (9)(removal of penalty charge notice from vehicle).
	Section 174(3) and (4) (obstruction of exercise of powers relating to examination of vehicles etc.).
	Section 175(2) and (5) (interfering with immobilisation devices).
	Section 175(3) and (6) (removing an immobilisation device).
	Section 175(4) and (6) (obstructing exercise of charging scheme powers).
	Section 188(4) and (5) (providing false or misleading information in connection with application for workplace parking licence).
	Section 190(4) and (5) (intentionally obstructing exercise of power to enter premises in connection with workplace parking levy licensing scheme).
	Section 247(1) and (6) (provision for offences relating to railway standards).
	Section 255(11) (provision for offence for failure to give notice of street works).
	Section 256(7) (provision for offences for failure to give notice in relation to prolonged street works).
	Section 266 (driving etc. a vehicle, in contravention of a direction relating to drivers' hours).
	Section 273 (extension of corporate offences to directors etc).
	Schedule 2, paragraph 10 (failure to provide information relating to air traffic administration orders).
	Schedule 3, paragraph 12 (failure by air traffic administrator to send copies of discharge of air traffic administration order).
	Schedule 9, paragraph 6 of (wrongful disclosure of information).
	Schedule 20, paragraph 2 (contravention of railway byelaws).
	Schedule 21, paragraph 14(4) (alteration etc of document required in connection with railway transfer scheme).
	Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
	Section 85 (provision for offences relating to the provision of aviation security services).
	Section 86 (non-compliance with directions relating to detention of aircraft for aviation security purposes).
	Section 87 (false documentation relating to air cargo).
	Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001
	Section 28 (knowingly etc selling plates which are not vehicle registration plates).
	Section 29 (supplying a plate etc. to an unregistered person etc.).
	Finance Act 2002
	Schedule 5, paragraph 8 (being registered keeper of unlicensed vehicle). Private Hire Vehicles (Carriage of Guide Dogs etc.) Act 2002
	Section 1 (offences relating to the booking of private hire vehicles for the carriage of disabled persons accompanied by assistance dogs).
	Section 2 (provision for offences relating to the carriage of disabled persons and their dogs in private hire cars).

Cycling

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the use of the revenue from parking meters and parking permits for improved cycle networks and cycle parking facilities.

David Jamieson: We have had no discussions with authorities on this specific matter. Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that surplus on-street parking income may be used for provision and maintenance of off-street parking facilities, the provision and operation of public passenger transport services and highway improvements. In addition, London local authorities may use surplus on-street parking income for purposes specified in the London transport strategy, which include on-street measures to promote cycling.

Document Classification

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many documents are held by his Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr Alexander) on Wednesday 7 May 2003, Official Report, column 696W.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee for the application of legislation on the development of the Community railways, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

David Jamieson: The information is as follows:
	(a) The official currently sitting on the Developing European Railways Committee is the Grade 7 Head of Economic Regulation Branch, in the Department's Railways Directorate.
	(b) The Committee met on 21 July 2002 and 31 January 2003.
	(c) The agenda comprised mainly reports from the regulatory bodies working group and other working groups dealing with particular topics.
	(d) The Committee proposed for adoption by the Commission an amendment to Annex III of Directive 2001/14, which concerns the process for allocating train slots in the annual timetable.
	(e) This amendment will be reflected in regulations that are in preparation to transpose the directives.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on the development of trans-European transport networks, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

David Jamieson: The information is as follows:
	(a) The official currently sitting on the trans-European transport network Committee is the Grade 7 Head of the Department's European Transport Policy Branch or the SEO deputy.
	(b) The Committee met on 16 May and 26 November 2002, and on 4 March 2003.
	(c) The meetings discussed progress towards completion of the transport network, and preparatory work in connection with a forthcoming proposal to revise to the guidelines governing its development. There were also information updates on a number of other network related issues.
	(d) and (e) The Committee functions in an advisory capacity only.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on the transfer of ships from one register to another within the Community, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

David Jamieson: Since January 2002, this committee has met onceon 16 December 2002. The UK was represented by a Principal Surveyor from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Permanent Representatives were invited by the European Commission to attend a consultation meeting, to consider a possible revision to regulations. No decisions were taken at the meeting.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on the development of trans-European transport networks, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today [ref 110300], at column 829W.

Fatalities

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the assessment costs per fatality are for passengers by (a) road, (b) rail and (c) air in terms of the capital expenditure allocated to try to prevent this from occurring.

David Jamieson: My Department recommend that investment for both road and rail aimed at avoiding fatalities is appraised using the value set out in the Departments 'Highways Economic Note No. 1:2001' a copy of which is in the Library.
	The Department does not have a formal value for appraising safety related investment in aviation.

London Underground

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the timetable is for Metronet's planned upgrade and refurbishment of their London Underground lines;
	(2)  when the proposed refurbishment of the Bakerloo line will commence.

David Jamieson: Under the contracts drawn up between Metronet and London Underground the work to upgrade and refurbish parts of the London Underground will be carried out as a rolling programme across the network. Metronet have already announced that in the first year of the contracts, enabling works will start on the upgrading of the Victoria Line, and the design for the new trains to be introduced on that line will also begin. Metronet will be spending around 1 billion on maintenance and capital projects in each of the first three years. I understand that initiatives to improve asset availability are expected to improve the overall reliability of all assets by 10 per cent. by the end of the first year, and by around 30 per cent. on the sub-surface lines and 20 per cent. on their deep tube lines by the end of the third year. Metronet is committed to increasing the number of trains available for service on the Central Line in 2004 and again in 2005, and on the Bakerloo and Victoria Lines in 2005. Around 36 stations will have been refurbished and a further 10 modernised by the end of the third year of the contracts.
	The contracts set out the latest date by which the upgrading work can be completed for each line as follows:
	
		
			 Line Latest completion date 
		
		
			 Bakerloo 31 March 2020 
			 Central 4 March 2006 
			 Victoria 17 August 2013 
			 Waterloo and City 3 March 2007 
			 Subsurface Lines 3 March 2018 Southern Section,28 February 2015 Northern Section 
		
	
	However, London Underground and Metronet are committed to upgrading these lines well before these deadlines.

Rail Safety

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the recent occasions on which a train protection and warning system has been disabled.

David Jamieson: The Health and Safety Executive advise that, since April 2001, the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) has correctly operated and brought the train to a stop on 157 occasions. In none of these instances was the TPWS system disabled. However, on eight occasions the driver took action to reset the TPWS and continued forward without first contacting the signaller for authorisation, which is a contravention of the Rule Book. Action is being taken by the rail industry to rectify this type of driver behaviour.

Thameslink

Kerry Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has (a) to ensure speedy commencement of the Thameslink re-franchising process and (b) to enable further investment in rolling stock to be made in the Bedford to Brighton service.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) currently plans to negotiate an extension of the existing franchise while the Thameslink 2000 programme is taken forward. A tendering process for the revised Thameslink 2000 franchise would follow. The SRA are reviewing rolling stock deployment and investment in the South East which could include Thameslink services.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has, in conjunction with HEFCE, for improving the sensitivity of the existing postcode premium in encouraging higher education institutions to improve access for disadvantaged students.

Margaret Hodge: From 200304 HEFCE has reformed the widening participation allocation to take into account previous educational attainment and age of students together with where they live. This reform recognises the extra costs associated with recruiting and supporting undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds. As our higher education White Paper makes clear, we are working with HEFCE to explore more sensitive and appropriate measures, and HEFCE will consult further as data becomes available.

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the proposed new higher education grant will be made available to existing students on its introduction in 2004.

Margaret Hodge: No. As we made clear in the booklet issued at the time that the HE White Paper was published, explaining to students and parents what the changes meant, the grant will be made available to new students starting courses from autumn 2004 onwards.

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve access to higher education for those combining studies with full-time employment.

Margaret Hodge: We want the provision of higher education to be flexible to enable people to combine studies with work, where they wish. Our recent White Paper The future of higher education sets a framework for some of this flexible provision. For example, we are improving support for those studying part-time. We have introduced foundation degrees, which offer flexible modes of study and can be combined with employment, reducing the barriers to learning. We are also supporting the development of the eUniversities project and welcome other flexible forms of provision, such as the online degrees recently announced by Ultralab. Through HEFCE we are trying to encourage a more widespread and consistent use of credit across higher education that will enable a more flexible approach to learning for students.

Children's Centres

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to ensure that the proposed new Children's Centres have a senior manager with an early years teaching qualification.

Maria Eagle: Children's Centres will provide integrated care and education for young children, health services, family support, and a base for child minders. Managers of Children's Centres will need to have the leadership and management skills to co-ordinate a multi-disciplinary team.
	Children's Centres will be required to have strong support for the teaching and learning offered. This should be secured by the employment of qualified teachers so that children using the centre have their activities planned and substantially led by a teacher with early years training or experience. After listening to representations from the teaching profession, the Sure Start Unit has identified that in most centres the employment of an early years teacher on a half-time basis would achieve this objective. However, we expect that this would be a minimum which many centres would exceed, and that others would build on over time.

SARS

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to schools to ensure children of Chinese origin are not discriminated against, bullied or intimidated as a result of public concern over SARS; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 7 May 2003
	Officials wrote to all schools in England on 14 April drawing their attention to Government advice on SARS on the Department of Health (DH) website. Schools are able to inform and reassure their pupils, which should reduce the tendency to victimise all those of Eastern origin. Any bullying or abuse which does take place should be dealt with in line with anti-bullying polices on which we have issued general advice which has recently been the subject of positive evaluation. This advice refers explicitly to racist bullying and schools are required to report all incidents of racist bullying, including name calling, to their LEA. We would expect schools' standard policies to ensure that no child is discriminated against and therefore have not issued any separate guidance to schools.

Civil Service (People with Disabilities)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Department.

Charles Clarke: My Department is committed to increasing the proportion of people with disabilities amongst its Senior Civil Service (SCS) staff. A substantial proportion of SCS positions are openly advertised, research is underway to help decide how best to attract more applicants from under-represented groups and a Disability Co-ordinator has been appointed to advise and support disabled staff and actively manage action to make reasonable adjustments to enable them to work as effectively as possible.
	My Department's aim is that by 2005, 3 per cent. of those in the SCS should be people with disabilities. The current proportion is 0.7 per cent., and has not changed significantly in the last 2 years.

GCSEs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on his plans for compulsory GCSEs in all subjects, with particular reference to mathematics.

David Miliband: There are no plans for compulsory GCSEs in any subject.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list, broken down by Act, the offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessor since 1997.

Charles Clarke: The information sought is summarised in the table.
	
		
			 Act Section Offence 
		
		
			 Education Act 1997. 40(6) Wilfully to obstruct an inspector conducting an inspection of a LEA  
			 School Standards and Framework Act 1998 Schedule 26 paragraph 18(4) Wilfully to obstruct an inspector conducting an inspection of a nursery 
			 Learning and Skills Act 2000 57(6) Wilfully to obstruct any person exercising functions in relation to inspection by the Adult Learning Inspectorate. 
			  63(5) Wilfully to obstruct the Chief Inspector in the exercise of his functions in relation to inspection of further education institutions. 
			  79(5) Wilfully to obstruct the Chief Inspector for Wales in the exercise of his functions in relation to inspection of education and training brought within his remit by Part IV of the Act. 
			  118(7)(a) Wilfully to obstruct a person carrying out or participating in inspection of services to encourage, enable or assist young persons in education or training. 
			  119(4) Disclosure of information supplied for the purpose of provision of services to encourage, enable or assist young persons in education or training. 
			  122 Wilfully to obstruct a person carrying out or participating in inspection of careers services. 
			 Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 19 Without reasonable excuse, failing to comply with procedural requirements of the Tribunal. 
			 Education Act 2002 159(1) To conduct an independent school which is not a registered school. 
			  159(6) Wilfully to obstruct the Chief Inspector conducting an investigation into an allegation of an offence under Section 159(1) of the Act. 
			  164(7) Wilfully to obstruct a person in the exercise of his functions in relation to the inspection of a registered school. 
			  165(9)(a) Failure of a proprietor of a school to comply with an order made under Section 165(8) of the Act. 
			  167(9)(a) Failure of a proprietor of a school to comply with an order of the tribunal made under Section 167(5) of the Act. 
			  Schedule 13 paragraph 2 Contravention by any person of the requirements of Section 79H(3)-(5) The Children Act 1989.

Departmental Invoices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the occasions on which (a) his Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 200102.

Charles Clarke: Information on the occasions where my Department and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to say that the percentage of bills which were paid by my Department within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice was 95 per cent. for the financial year 200102. In addition, the percentage of bills paid by my Department's executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), where the information was available, is shown in the following table. I have no Agencies.
	
		Percentage
		
			 NDPB Paid within 30 days 
		
		
			 Adult Learning Inspectorate 90 
			 HEFCE 99 
			 Learning and Skills Council 95 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 61 
			 Teachers Training Agency 97 
			 CITB 95 
			 British Educational Comms and Tech Agency N/A 
			 Engineering Construction ITB N/A 
			 General Teaching Council N/A 
			 Investors in People N/A 
			 National College for School Leadership N/A 
			 Student Loans Company N/A

Document Classification

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many documents are held by his Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification.

Stephen Twigg: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. My Department follows the Cabinet Office guidance on document marking and control.

Energy Policy

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement, in relation to his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible, on (a) the amount of energy consumed, (b) spending on (i) energy and (ii) energy efficiency measures, (c) the amount saved through energy efficiency measures and (d) energy policy in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: The information for my Department is as follows:
	
		
			  Energy consumption (GWh per year) Energy expenditure ( million per year) Energy/m2(kWh/m2 per year) Savings over 199798 (percentage) Energy efficiency spend(000 per year) 
		
		
			 199798 DfEE 32.98 1,347,403 305.36  45 
			 199899 DfEE 29.90 1,056,810 287.46 6 63 
			 19992000 DfEE 30.58 1,111,660 288.77 5 27 
			 200001 DfES 35.16 1,025,894 341.69 -12 11 
			 200102 DfES 34.90 1,120,938 339.17 -11 14 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Energy consumption: this is weather-corrected in the usual manner, using annual degree days relative to the 20-year average for 199091. The figures are those reported on for the Central Government Estate campaign, and generally include each Department's main estate plus all agencies, but not NDPBs.
	2. Energy expenditure: this is actual spend, and from April 2001, includes the Climate Change Levy.
	3. Energy/m2: this variable allows for changes in both weather and estate size on energy consumption. So annual changes will generally reflect efficiency changes.
	4. Savings over 199798: these have been expressed as percentage savings relative to the first year quoted here, and are based on the figures in the preceding column.
	5. Energy efficiency spend: note that this is not necessarily a good measure of an effective energy efficiency policy. For example, when a new building is commissioned or an existing one refurbished, good design can actually reduce capital costs, e.g. by avoiding air conditioning. The costs of an effective energy management team may also not be included.
	Information on energy consumption by the Department's NDPBs is not held centrally.
	The Energy White Paper, Our Energy FutureCreating a Low Carbon Economy, made clear the importance the Government attach to improving energy efficiency in their own estate. This is reflected in several targets. There is currently an interim target of a one per cent. per annum on-going reduction in weather-corrected carbon emissions, pending the development of new indicators and targets based on benchmarking the performance of each Department's largest buildings. These new targets are planned to be in place later this year. New targets for Government Departments' use of CHP generated electricity will also be established during 2003.
	In addition, the review of Government procurement has identified areas where procurement could reinforce the achievement of these targets, and arrangements are being made centrally for Departments to purchase goods with high energy efficiency standards and which provide good value for money.
	On the purchase of renewable electricity, Ministers agreed the following target in May 2001:
	All Departments will ensure that by 31 March 2003, at least five per cent. of their electricity comes from renewable sources that are exempt from the Climate Change Levy or from self generation, provided this does not entail excessive cost. This will rise to at least 10 per cent. supply from such sources by 31 March 2008, but will be reviewed after 31 March 2003 to take account of market conditions following the introduction of the renewables obligation. The review of 2003 will include consideration of increasing or bringing forward the target.

Teacher Training

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what resources he has allocated to fund the Education Fast Track Initiative; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Fast Track teaching programme is a programme of accelerated professional development, designed to attract, retain and rapidly develop transformational school leaders of the future. The total investment in the Fast Track programme in 200203 was just over 8 million. The total investment allocated for 200304 is 13.5 million, an increase which reflects the rapid growth in numbers on the Fast Track programme, from 249 teachers and trainee teachers in September 2002 to an estimated 600+ expected by September 2003.
	This allocation funds all aspects of the programme, including the practical resources for teachers and schools: enhanced Initial Teacher Training; Fast Track bursaries; national professional development events; regional and local events; a network of Area Co-ordinators; in-school mentors; a facilitated on-line community; additional teachers' pay; laptops and associated software and hardware; and individualised support for professional development.

Free School Meals

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has informed local education authorities of the free school meals available to children from low-income households as a result of the child tax credit.

Stephen Twigg: Information was issued to all local education authorities on 15 January 2003, which outlined the changes to free school meal eligibility that would apply from April 2003. Further information, which dealt specifically with the new free school meal (tax credit) eligibility category, was issued to all local education authorities on 28 February 2003. From 6 April 2003, children whose parents receive the following 'support' payments are eligible to receive free school meals: income support; income based jobseeker's allowance; support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; and child tax credit, provided that they do not also receive working tax credit and have an annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) that does not exceed 13,230.

Free School Meals

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to monitor and assess the quality of (a) selection of trainees, (b) in-school training and (c) overall outcome of the Graduate Teachers programme.

David Miliband: All entrants to initial teacher training in England must satisfy the requirements that my right hon. Friend has laid down in Qualifying to Teach: Professional Standards for Qualified Teacher Status and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training. The selection of individual candidates is, however, the responsibility of training providers themselves. The Teacher Training Agency's functions include the enhancement of quality of both conventional and employment-based training routes. In this context, measures taken by the Agency to promote high-quality employment-based training include the creation, from September 2002, of 80 Designated Recommending Bodies responsible for the allocation of most places on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) and the supervision of in-school training. The Agency also oversees the monitoring and peer review of candidates' training plans and an annual survey of employment-based trainees whose main focus is the level of their satisfaction with the training received.
	Intense competition for places on the GTP has ensured a high standard of entrant to the programme. This is reflected in the fact that, since the programme was created in 1998, over 90 per cent. of GTP trainees have consistently succeeded in gaining Qualified Teacher Status.

Information Technology

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on Information Technology and (c) spending on Information Technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure was in each financial year since 199798.

Stephen Twigg: (a) The contribution by DfES to the Total Managed Expenditure can be measured by the total of spending under resource and capital budgets, less non-cash items in AME. Data for 199899 to 200102 were published in the 2002 Departmental Report (Cm 5402). New estimates will be published in the same table in the 2003 Departmental Report, in May 2003.
	(b) Estimates of spending on all Information Technology are not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However figures are available for administrative capital spending on Information Technology i.e. computers, telecommunications and software. This was 11.3 million in 199798, 9.0 million in 199899, 8.9 million in 19992000, 7.6 million in 200001, 8.7 million in 200102 and provisionally 7.5 million in 200203.
	(c) As information is not held on all Information Technology spend, data is not available on a comparable basis to total managed expenditure.

Investors in People

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) universities, (b) colleges of higher education, (c) general further education colleges and (d) sixth form colleges have Investors in People status.

Margaret Hodge: The proportion of educational establishments which have or are working towards Investors in People is as follows.
	
		
			  Total number in Proportion with Investors in Peoplerecognition Proportion working towardsrecognition (committed) 
			 Establishment England  Percentage  Percentage 
		
		
			 Universities 95 47 49 6 6 
			 Higher Education Colleges 41 7 17 3 7 
			 Further Education Colleges 306 133 43 40 13 
			 Sixth Form Colleges 104 44 42

Language Teaching

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the teaching of languages in secondary schools;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of languages being non-compulsory at GCSE level.

David Miliband: Our National Languages Strategy document, published in December 2002, makes clear our intention to ensure that the opportunity to learn languages has a key place in the transformed secondary school of the future. At Key Stage 3, all pupils will continue to have an opportunity to learn at least one language and develop cultural understanding. We also want to raise standards and enrich the language learning experience.
	The current National Curriculum requirements at Key Stage 4 include modern foreign languages. However, we do not believe that requiring schools to teach languages to every young person beyond the age of 14 is the best way forward. Around 36,000 pupils currently do not study a language at Key Stage 4 under the present disapplication arrangements. We therefore intend to amend the statutory requirement at Key Stage 4 so that schools will no longer be required to teach modern foreign languages to all pupils. However, every pupil has an entitlement to study a modern foreign language and are therefore required to ensure as a minimum that they are available to any pupil wishing to study them. Our ultimate goal is to move to a position where young people are motivated to study modern foreign languages, rather than being forced to do so.

Music Lessons

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what percentage of state-educated pupils in each government office region had access to musical instrument lessons during school hours and on school premises in (a) 1992, (b) 1997 and (c) 2002;
	(2)  how many pupils in each year group (a) had access to and (b) took up musical instrument lessons in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: This information is not collected centrally.
	However, music is taught to all children in Key Stages 13 (ages five to 14) through the National Curriculum. The Government also provides just under 60 million per annum to LEA Music Services through the Music Standards Fund to give pupils access to high quality musical experiences, including instrumental lessons.

Music Lessons

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to assist talented musicians from state schools to achieve excellence as musicians.

David Miliband: My Department is strongly committed to music education and we have a number of projects under way to identify and nurture talented young musicians.
	The Music Standards Fund offers just under 60 million per year for musical activities delivered through LEA Music Services, including instrumental tuition and programmes for the gifted and talented. The Music and Dance Scheme has allocated just under 65 million to gifted and talented young musicians since 1997 through its Aided Pupil Scheme; and we are supporting the work of the National Youth Music Organisations to enable them to increase access and opportunities for young musicians throughout the country. The gifted and talented education programme includes support for talented young musicians, for example, through the gifted and talented strand of Excellence in Cities and the national summer school programme for 10 to14 year-olds.

Music Lessons

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) peripatetic and (b) staff musical instrument teachers work in state schools in the UK; how many full-time equivalent staff there are; and what the average number of hours worked per week was in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Miliband: This information is not collected centrally.

Nursery Provision

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative commenced; how many nurseries have (a) been approved and (b) started operating; how much of the available funds have (i) been allocated and (ii) remain unspent; and what his plans are to support the establishment of further nurseries in the most disadvantaged areas.

Maria Eagle: We launched the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative on 24 July 2001 with a target of creating 45,000 child care places. Our latest figures show that 161 nurseries have opened and a further 1,174 nursery projects have been approved by the local authorities and are in development, bringing the total number of neighbourhood nurseries to 1,335. The entire Neighbourhood Nurseries budget of 346 million has been allocated to those local authorities taking part in the initiative. This includes 100 million of capital from the New Opportunities Fund.
	We are also making 435 million available to local authorities to develop children centres. This will incorporate nursery provision in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and will create a further 43,000 child care places by 2006.

Nursery Provision

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans there are to (a) increase and (b) extend the provision of nursery school development funding.

Maria Eagle: The Department's nursery school development grant programme, worth 5 million a year, will continue until 200506. It provides additional ring-fenced support to help Maintained Nursery Schools develop and extend their services enabling them to take advantage of the wider development and expansion of Neighbourhood Nurseries and Children's Centres.

Nursery Provision

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans are in place to ensure existing Maintained Nursery Schools are protected from the threat of closure.

Maria Eagle: The revised school reorganisation guidance which we intend should come into force in June 2003 will include a clear presumption against the closure of Maintained Nursery Schools. The guidance will make clear that closure proposals should not generally be approved, unless the local education authority (LEA) can demonstrate that the proposals are clearly in the best interests of local children and families and that it has duly considered:
	the quantity, quality, value for money and convenience to parents (in hours offered) of provision at the individual nursery school, and proposed replacement provision;
	the impact of the potential loss to the locality of the nursery school's experience and knowledge in delivering early years education; and
	alternatives to closure.

Schools

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the meetings he has had with Devon teachers to discuss the budgetary allocations for 200304 in the last six months.

Charles Clarke: I have had no such discussions.

Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds his Department has allocated to partnerships between the independent and state school sectors; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: In its first five years, 19982003, the independent/state school partnerships grant scheme was allocated 3.3 million of Departmental funding. Independent evaluation of the scheme has found that it is achieving its aims and objectives and provides good value for money. As a result, the scheme has been allocated a significant increase of funding over the next three years: 1.25 million in 200304 rising to 2 million in 200506. We expect to announce the outcome of the recent application round in June.
	We believe the independent sector can and is making a substantial contribution to our education system, through a range of collaborative models and policy initiatives, such as joint professional development, sharing of ideas on curriculum development and classroom observation. In addition, independent schools which meet the criteria and are willing to work with schools in the maintained sector will be able to participate in the next round of the Leading Edge programme later this year.

Schools

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has given to local education authorities on fixing dates for school terms, with particular reference to areas where many children attend schools in an authority other than where they live.

David Miliband: Responsibility for deciding the dates of school terms and holidays rests with local education authorities or school governing bodies depending on the category of school. We would encourage adjoining authorities as far as possible to set similar dates.

Schools

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve the cleanliness and hygiene of school toilets.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 6 May 2003
	It is a requirement of The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 that
	Every part of a school building and of the land provided for a school shall be such that the health, safety and welfare of the occupants are reasonably assured.
	Servicing of washrooms is covered by this requirement. It is the responsibility of the school, through the head teacher and governing body to ensure that standards of cleanliness are maintained.

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in his Department were on long term sick leave in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: My Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to maintain its efforts to try and meet the 2003 target for reduced sickness absence as set out in its Service Delivery Agreement.
	My Department does not hold this information centrally and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.

Strategic Area Reviews

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the timetable and progress of Strategic Area Reviews by local Learning and Skills Councils.

Margaret Hodge: All local Learning and Skills Councils are conducting Strategic Area Reviews of post-16 LSC-funded provision. These started in April 2003 and will be completed by March 2005. Nine local LSCs have been identified as pathfinders: one in each region plus a pathfinder involving all five local LSCs in the London region. The process will undergo early evaluation and lessons learnt will be shared with local LSCs across the country.

Student Debt

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average level of debt accumulated by university students and students in higher education at the end of their course of study was (a) in the most recent year for which figures are available and (b) in 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Student loan borrowers are liable to repay their loans from the April after they finish or leave their course, depending on their income. They are described as entering repayment status from that date. Students that started their course from the 1998/99 academic year will repay income contingent loans. Loans for those who started their course before 1998/99 are repayable on a mortgage style basis. The table shows estimates of average student loan debt at the point at which they entered repayment status for borrowers who became liable to repay their loans in financial years 199899 and 200203.
	New student support arrangements were introduced from academic year 1998/99. Most new students in that year (apart from specified exceptions) received support for maintenance expenditure through means-tested grants (about 25 per cent. of the support available) and non-means-tested student loans (about 75 per cent. of the support). From 1999/2000, students who entered higher education after 1998/99 received support for maintenance expenditure through loans. About three quarters of the value of these loans is not subject to means-testing. The repayments on these loans are on an income contingent basis.
	Students who started their course up to 1997/98, and those who entered in 1998/99 under the existing arrangements, are eligible for mortgage style loans. Students in this category received support for maintenance through non-means-tested loans (about 50 per cent. of the support available), and means-tested grants for those that qualify (about 50 per cent. of the support).
	The first cohort of students on a three-year degree course who entered higher education under the new student support arrangements became liable for repayment in April 2002. That cohort includes a disproportionate number of students on shorter courses as well as those who have left higher education before completing their courses. Therefore the average level of debt will not be representative of the average debt experienced by those who complete their courses.
	
		Average student loan debt on entering repayment status(10),(11)
		
			 Financial year enteredrepayment status(12) Mortgage styleloans (13),(14) Income contingent loans (15) 
		
		
			 199899 2,870 (16) 
			 200203 5,160 6,000 
		
	
	(10) Data rounded to nearest 10. Includes interest.
	(11) Excludes any repayments which may have been made before borrowers enter repayment status.
	(12) Borrowers enter repayment status in the April following their graduation or otherwise leaving their course.
	(13) Loans made to students who entered higher education up to 1997/98 or who entered in 1998/99 under existing arrangements. Includes loans repayable to the private sector following the sale of two portfolios of student loans.
	(14) Includes loans sold in the two portfolios of student loans which are administered by the Student Loans Company.
	(15) Loans, repayable on an income contingent basis, available to students who entered higher education from academic year 1998/99. These loans were subject to a repayment holiday until April 2000. Includes hardship loans and the fixed rate loans (500) to eligible part-time students.
	(16) Not applicable.
	Source:
	Student Loans Company
	Data on debts for which there is no public subsidy, such as overdrafts, credit cards, and informal debts to family and friends, are not available centrally.

Sure Start

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which senior members of staff within the Sure Start Unit have a specialist early years teaching qualification.

Maria Eagle: Senior staff in the Sure Start Unit have a range of different qualifications, including in early years teaching, and a number have worked in the early years and child care fields. The unit and Ministers have access to specialist expertise in a range of ways through advisers, consultative groups, research contracts and informal contacts.

Working Hours

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policy on (a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Stephen Twigg: My Department is committed to accommodate requests from staff to work flexibly, subject to overriding operational requirements, and therefore does not require attendance for core hours beyond the opening and closing times of its offices. My Department has a standard working week of 41 hrs for full-time staff working in the London pay area and 42 hours for full-time staff working elsewhere. These totals include 5 hours for paid meal breaks.
	With the exception of staff in the Senior Civil Service, and at Grade 7 and Grade 6 level, all staff in my Department are eligible to work a formal flexitime arrangement. Managers are expected to make every effort to accommodate individual preferences for working hours, which are consistent with delivering the Department's business. Grade 6 staff and Grade 7 Team Leaders are also able to work alternative full or part-time flexible working patterns outside the formal flexitime arrangement with the agreement of their line manager.
	In addition, my Department supports a wide range of flexible working arrangements to help staff achieve a good balance between their home and work life. This includes part-time working, job-sharing, homeworking and term-time working.
	It has not been possible to provide the requested information for my Department's NDPBs and agencies without incurring disproportionate costs.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Al Mujaharoon

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will investigate the public statement made by the leader of Al Mujaharoon, on 1 May 2003 on suicide bombing and on British Muslims joining its jihad; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: While I take all allegations of this type extremely seriously, I do not have any powers to investigate criminal matters. The police have responsibility for investigating criminal matters and for deciding whether or not to charge an offender. It would not therefore be appropriate for me to comment further.

Crown Prosecution Service

Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General how many complaints were made against the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 1997 to 2003; and what the outcome was.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service holds records of complaints dating back to 1998. The number of complaints received in each year for which figures are available were as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 2,423 
			 1999 2,192 
			 2000 2,793 
			 2001 2,815 
			 2002 3,080 
		
	
	However, no central record is held of the outcome of complaints. The majority of complaints relate to prosecutions handled locally by the 42 areas of the Crown Prosecution Service. The details of complaints and the responses to them could be ascertained only by examining the individual case records held in each Crown Prosecution Service office.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Iraq (Cultural Heritage)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department has collated on the contribution made by British academic institutions to the safeguarding of Iraqi museums and cultural sites.

Tessa Jowell: Newcastle University and University College London provided lists of key sites of cultural and historical interest in Iraq to the MOD before the start of the conflict in Iraq. Troops were briefed accordingly and avoided key sites of cultural and historic interests as far as possible during the conflict.

Youth Sport Trust

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she had with the Department for Education and Skills on the impact on schools of the Youth Sport Trust initiative;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the purchasing of chocolate of encouraging children to collect tokens from confectionery to provide for sporting equipment under the Youth Sport Trust initiative;
	(3)  what discussions took place between her Department and (a) Cadbury, (b) schools, (c) local authorities and (d) parents of children regarding the Youth Sport Trust initiative to encourage children to collect tokens from chocolate bars to provide for sporting equipment;
	(4)  how long the Youth Sport Trust initiative will last; what estimates she has made of the number of extra pieces of equipment schools will gain from the initiative; and when the initiative will be reviewed.

Richard Caborn: Although the Cadbury's 'Get Active' campaign has similar objectives to the Government's national strategy for physical education, school sport and club links, it is not a Government initiative, and as such, the Department has not had any discussions with any other Department or organisation about it. Nor has the Department made any assessment of the effect in the purchasing of chocolate of encouraging children to collect tokens from confectionary to provide for sporting equipment. 'Get Active' is about promoting a healthy lifestyle through increased levels of activity. It will be worth up to 8 million a year, over the next five years, with Cadbury's contributing 15p in every 1 spent on promotional packs on the purchase of sports equipment for schools.

DEFENCE

European Rapid Reaction Force

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with European colleagues regarding the progress of the ERRF; and what exercises are planned to test capability.

Geoff Hoon: Although the EU is seeking to strengthen its rapid response capability, there is no standing European Rapid Reaction Force nor any EU agreement to create one: existing national or multinational forces, declared under the Helsinki Headline Goal, will be made available to the EU on a voluntary, case-by-case basis when required for a crisis management operation. Units declared to the Headline Goal may participate in national, multinational or NATO exercises but there is no specific EU exercise programme to test military capability. The EU does, however, have an agreed programme of exercises to validate its crisis management procedures including a joint EU/NATO exercise planned for November 2003. I regularly discuss the European Security and Defence Policy with European colleagues. The Headline Goal, on which the EU continues to make progress, and rapid response capabilities were discussed most recently at an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in March 2003.

European Rapid Reaction Force

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the future of the European Rapid Reaction Force.

Geoff Hoon: There is no standing European Rapid Reaction Force nor any EU agreement to create one: existing national or multinational forces, declared under the Helsinki Headline Goal, will be made available to the EU on a voluntary, case-by-case basis when required for a crisis management operation.
	I regularly discuss the European Security and Defence Policy with my French counterpart. Our last meeting was at the Le Touquet summit in February 2003, where we jointly recognised that developing the capacity for rapid reaction was a European priority and agreed to step up co-operation between our national planning and operations staff in order to enhance the interoperability of our Armed Forces to prepare for contingencies where they may be called upon to act together at very short notice.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis permission was given by RAF Gibraltar on 29th April for Spanish military jets to enter Gibraltar airspace.

Adam Ingram: Two fast jets of the Spanish Air Force conducted a sortie in the vicinity of Gibraltar on 29 April 2003. The aircraft did not enter Gibraltar airspace and no request was made for permission to do so. The Spanish authorities gave RAF Gibraltar advance notice of the aircraft's intentions and the crew remained in contact with RAF Gibraltar Air Traffic Control throughout their time in the vicinity of the Rock. We very much welcome the co-operation of the Spanish authorities which ensured that the jets posed no risk to commercial flight safety.

Home and Special Forces Secretariat

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the remit and terms of reference are of the Home and Special Forces Secretariat; and who sits on this body.

Adam Ingram: The Home and Special Forces Secretariat is a directorate within the Central Staff of the Ministry of Defence Headquarters. It is one of a number of directorates whose role is to formulate policy and provide advice on military capabilities and operations (including to Ministers, the Chiefs of Staff, other Government Departments and civil authorities), and handle related public and parliamentary business. It currently comprises 12 civil servants.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what latest estimate he has of the death toll from current hostilities in Iraq amongst (a) UK forces, (b) US forces, (c) Iraqi forces, (d) Iraqi civilians and (e) other civilian non-combatants.

Adam Ingram: Basra and its environs are likely to contain a significant number of unexploded munitions from the Iran-Iraq war as well as mines laid by Iraqi forces, unexploded ordnance fired or dropped during recent hostilities and stores of ammunition and other ordnance left by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.
	Providing a safe, secure and risk free environment for the Iraqi people is a key aspect of restoration activity for the Coalition. When unexploded munitions are discovered Coalition forces' normal practice is to destroy them in situ.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cluster bombs have been dropped on Iraq since the start of current hostilities by (a) UK and (b) US forces; and what information is held on the location of their target.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 28 April 2003
	As of 29 April 2003, United Kingdom forces have dropped about 66 RBL 755 cluster bombs in the Iraq conflict. These have been used against large troop concentrations, armour and artillery in the open. A detailed record of the areas where cluster bombs are known to have been used in Iraq is maintained by the coalition in Theatre. We do not comment on numbers of munitions dropped by other nations.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions have been issued to Coalition troops about seizing documents as evidence of crimes against humanity.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 6 May 2003
	United Kingdom Commanders are advised that any evidence believed to be linked to war crimes or crimes against humanity in Iraq is to be preserved and secured so that it may be properly examined by investigating authorities. Where evidence is time-sensitive, and a delay might result in it being lost, it may be seized and retained.

Iraq

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rules of engagement are for the use of lethal force in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: Access to information on Rules of Engagement is restricted for reasons of operational security. I am therefore withholding this information under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Iraq

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Army units will remain in Iraq and Kuwait; when he expects them to be withdrawn; what replacements are to be made available; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon .Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence's two Written Ministerial Statements on Iraq Force Level Adjustments of 11 April 2003 Official Report, columns 3839WS and 30 April Official Report, columns 1516WS. We will continue to inform the House as and when decisions on force adjustments are made.

Iraq

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK forces will be committed to stabilisation and security operations in Iraq over the next year; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence's two written ministerial statements on Iraq Force Level Adjustments of 11 April 2003, Official Report, columns 3839WS and 30 April 2003, Official Report, columns 1516WS). We will continue to ensure that appropriate forces remain in Iraq to fulfil our military campaign objectives of setting the conditions for the stabilisation and reconstruction of Iraq. We will continue to inform the House as and when decisions on force adjustments are made.

Iraq

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent it is possible to assign costs incurred by his Department in connection with the conduct of operations in Iraq (a) to periods (i) before the actual start of military action, (ii) while military action was taking place and (iii) subsequent to the conclusion of high intensity military action and (b) for the purposes of (A) preparing forces and resources and deploying them to the theatre of operations, (B) the conduct of military operations in theatre and (C) the recovery and repatriation of equipment, unused supplies and personnel.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	 The data that we might be able to provide may not meet exactly the categorisation requested.

Iraq

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what opportunities for modern apprenticeships he makes available in the armed forces.

Lewis Moonie: As part of the ongoing training programme, the Ministry of Defence sponsors its personnel for qualifications and awards and seeks external accreditation within the National Qualifications Framework. These qualifications include Foundation and Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (MA) in a number of areas. These areas include: Agriculture; Business Administration; Construction; Engineering; Health, Care and Public Services; Hospitality; Leisure, Sport and Travel; Media and Design; Retailing and Customer Services; and Transportation. We estimate that 11,392 personnel within the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and the civil service are currently registered for an MA.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department has taken to safeguard the impartiality and independence of aid agencies delivering aid in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: Aid agencies providing humanitarian assistance in Iraq are fully independent of coalition military forces. The Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait City and the Humanitarian Aid Co-ordination Centre in the US Embassy in Amman encourage them to contact coalition forces in the area in which they will operate, in order to ensure they have up-to-date advice, but they are under no obligation to do so. The headquarters of the United Kingdom 1st Armoured Division in Basra includes two humanitarian advisors from the Department for International Development who provide advice on relief activities.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of food aid to Iraq the US and UK military aim to import via Umm Qasr.

Adam Ingram: The import of food aid into Iraq is largely the responsibility of a number of Agencies which are independent of the United Kingdom or other Governments. It is difficult to judge, therefore, what proportion of the aid will come through Umm Qasr. However, the rail link from Umm Qasr to the rest of the country is likely to make the port more viable for the import of bulk supplies than road routes. For this reason we believe that a substantial amount of aid will enter Iraq via Umm Qasr once the port is fully open to shipping.

Joint Rapid Reaction Force

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Government has to undergo a Joint Rapid Reaction Force exercise to demonstrate the capability of medical services; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Joint Rapid Reaction Forces exercises are designed to practise joint, including medical, capability. Medical personnel took part in Exercise Saif Sareea II in autumn 2001, and in Exercise Joint Venture 02 in May 2002. Medical personnel have also recently demonstrated their capability in operations in Iraq. Several further joint exercises are planned for 2004.

Merchant Shipping (Terrorism)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what capacity the Royal Navy has available to protect merchant shipping in UK waters from possible terrorist attack.

Adam Ingram: Within the United Kingdom, terrorism is a crime and is therefore the responsibility of the police. The Home Office are the lead Government Department for terrorist matters and the Department for Transport for transport issues. The terrorist threat in UK waters, as in the UK itself, is kept under constant review. The Royal Navy has a number of graduated response options available to assist the civil authorities in the protection of merchant shipping in UK waters, depending on the level of threat. These range from routine advice and guidance to merchant shipping to more proactive measures, including RN support to the Police, HM Customs and Excise or other civil power, if necessary. Forces available are drawn from those routinely tasked with the maintenance of the integrity of UK waters. In addition, specialist Ministry of Defence elements with dedicated maritime counter terrorist roles are kept at high readiness.

Operational Costs

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his practice to identify and disclose the full costs of specific operations, as well as the additional costs.

Geoff Hoon: The current policy is to identify only the additional costs of operations. I do not foresee a change to that policy, not least because of the practical difficulties that this would involve.

Overseas Postings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are deployed or stationed in (a) Germany, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Bosnia, (d) Kosovo, (e) Cyprus, (f) Sierra Leone, (g) Afghanistan, (h) the Gulf region, (i) Turkey, (j) Gibraltar, (k) Belize, (l) Kenya, (m) Brunei and (n) Canada.

Adam Ingram: The approximate numbers and locations of armed forces personnel deployed on operations and other military tasks or stationed in the locations specified, as at 1 April 2003 (unless specified otherwise) are shown as follows.
	
		
			 Location Approximate numbers 
		
		
			 Germany 11,530 
			 Northern Ireland 14,260 
			 Bosnia 1,400 
			 Kosovo 1,100 
			 Cyprus(17) 4,671 
			 Sierra Leone 120 
			 Afghanistan 330 
			 Gulf Region(17) 36,988 
			 Turkey 180 
			 Gibraltar 400 
			 Belize 20 
			 Kenya 50 
			 Brunei 1,140 
			 Canada 270 
		
	
	(17) As at 27April 2003.

SA80

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the operational effectiveness of the SA80 during operations in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 May 2003, Official Report, column 576W, to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Flook).

Sea Harrier

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what methods are planned to defend Royal Navy vessels and land-attack aircraft in a conflict occurring after the withdrawal of the Sea Harrier in 2006;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the ability of Type 45 destroyers to fulfil the role of the FA2 Sea Harrier after 2006.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 454W, and 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 702W.

Sri Lanka

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will assist Landmine Action in their discussions with the government of Sri Lanka on the non-use of anti-personnel mines.

Adam Ingram: The Government is fully committed to the universalisation of the Ottawa Convention. My officials are in regular contact with Landmine Action, and we support their efforts to encourage non-States Party, including Sri Lanka, to sign up to the Convention.
	The United Kingdom is in the early stages of assisting the Sri Lankan Army in a restructuring process. This will cover many strands, of which one will be the issue of anti-personnel landmines.

Stevens Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions he has received concerning cooperation with and disclosure to the Inquiry of Sir John Stevens.

Adam Ingram: None. The Ministry of Defence's policy and practice is to co-operate fully with all police inquiries.

Stevens Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the military status of Brian Nelson has been since his release from prison in 1997.

Adam Ingram: Brian Nelson had no military status from his release from prison in 1997 until his death in April 2003.

Stevens Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sums of money have been paid to Brian Nelson, his heirs and successors since his release from prison in 1997.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding this information under Section la of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Troop Deployments

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of British troops are on active deployment; if he will make a statement on the levels of commitment; and what plans he has to reduce the number of deployments.

Adam Ingram: The figures for the average number of personnel from each Service deployed on Military Tasks overseas for the quarter ending 31 March 2003, the most recent comprehensive figures available, are shown in the table. The figures do not include personnel either preparing for or recovering from deployments on Military Tasks. They also exclude personnel on duties in the United Kingdom such as firefighting.
	
		4th Quarter 200203 (JanuaryMarch 2003)
		
			  Number Percentage of trained strength 
		
		
			 Navy (inc. Royal Marines) 8,091 21.5 
			 Army 36,073 35.4 
			 Air Force 6,947 14.3 
		
	
	The Department's plans for reducing deployments were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 30 April 2003, Official Report, column 15WS.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy vessels are (a) listed and (b) scheduled for future withdrawal from the fleet.

Adam Ingram: All Royal Navy vessels have a scheduled withdrawal date at some stage in the future when their capability is replaced by another platform. The listed Royal Navy vessels have been withdrawn from the Fleet but their final destination has yet to be determined:
	HMS Scylla: replaced by Type 23 Frigates
	HMS Boxer: replaced by Type 23 Frigates
	HMS Brave: replaced by Type 23 Frigates
	HMS Intrepid, HMS Fearless, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark: to be replaced by Landing Platform Dock (LPD(R)
	In line with the 1998 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) recommendations, a force level reduction of two submarines (SSN) is planned by 2006.
	The Ministry of Defence routinely considers changes to the Defence programme to ensure the required level of capability is maintained to meet its current and contingent operations. Improvements currently planned for the Fleet, introducing more modern and capable vessels as replacements for scheduled outgoing capability are:
	Three River Class Overseas Patrol Vessels (OPV) will replace the Island Class OPV capability by early 2004. The remaining Island Class OPVs are scheduled to be withdrawn from service having reached their end of service lives.
	Four Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) vessels are scheduled to enter service between 2004 and 2005, replacing four existing Landing Ship Logistic (LSL) vessels that have completed their planned service lives.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the capacity of Iraqi civil society to participate in the rebuilding of Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the measures being taken to foster Iraqi participation in the future governance of Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: The role of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) is to help facilitate the rebuilding of Iraq. A series of meetings (which began in Nasiriyah and Baghdad) will draw together Iraqi consensus from a broad range of opinion in order to establish an Iraqi Interim Authority in four weeks time. It will be for the Iraqis themselves to decide the shape of their future government. It is too early to predict when elections can be held and Iraqi self-governance attained.

Iraq

Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimates he has (a) made and (b) received of the number and sterling value of (i) antiquities, (ii) cultural artefacts and (iii) works of art which have been looted from Iraq since coalition forces occupied the country.

Mike O'Brien: It is too early to make any accurate assessment. The Director of Research of the Iraq Museum provided information on some items which have been looted from the Museum to a seminar of professionals at the British Museum on 29 April.

Iraq

Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United Nations regarding the security of antiquities and works of cultural value remaining in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: We are talking to our partners on the UN Security Council about this issue with a view to ensuring that it is not overlooked when sanctions are lifted. We will be arguing for language which calls for member states to facilitate the return of any stolen artifacts and impose a moratorium or other prohibitions on trade in Iraqi artifacts until their provenance can be established.

Iraq

Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United Nations concerning export criteria on (a) works of art, (b) items of cultural value and (c) antiquities in Iraq, in the event of the lifting of trade sanctions; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We condemn the illicit trade in Iraqi antiquities. We are therefore working to ensure that Iraq's cultural assets are respected when sanctions are lifted; and we are discussing with other Security Council members the best way of restricting the export of these assets. Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property we and other signatory countries have an obligation to prevent the import of stolen Iraqi antiquities.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about sanctions on Iraq.

Bill Rammell: The Government favours lifting sanctions on Iraq as soon as possible.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to parole and vet Iraqi soldiers prior to their involvement in reconstruction activities.

Mike O'Brien: Coalition forces are working on plans for a programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDK). This will concentrate on processing former Iraqi military personnel for integration into the new Iraqi National Defence Force. Those deemed unsuitable will be returned to civilian life, unless they face criminal investigation.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about what co-ordination there has been with the United Nations regarding the future governance of Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: We are in close touch with members of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General about various aspects of our policy on Iraq. These include exploring a UN role in the political process leading to the emergence of a new Iraqi Government.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department made of civilian infrastructures and what plans were made for the restoration of essential services in Iraq, prior to military action; and if he will make future plans publicly available.

Mike O'Brien: The US led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) has with UK support taken the lead in restoring essential services. Prior to the conflict the Government recognised the need to provide early post-conflict relief and allocated 210 million for rehabilitation projects in Iraq. Future plans will be made public, as they become available.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether journalists operating in Iraq for British publications and broadcasting outlets have to have permission from General Jay Garner to carry out their reportage in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: No. Journalists representing the British media currently have permission from CENTCOM (the coalition's central command).

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to authenticate documents claimed to have been found in Baghdad by journalists working for British-based publications that purport to establish a link between the former Iraqi Government and Al-Qaeda terrorists.

Mike O'Brien: We have not seen these documents and therefore cannot comment.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Tariq Aziz, between 1 January and the day he surrendered.

Mike O'Brien: There have been no discussions with Tariq Aziz since the last Gulf War.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Iraqi women and Iraqi women's organisations are included in all stages of preparation for the Iraqi interim authority and the preparation of a new Iraqi constitution.

Mike O'Brien: We are seriously exploring the option of holding an Iraqi women's conference to produce representatives. The UK funded Towards Freedom television channel will soon be transmitting programmes to encourage women to participate in this process. Our military on the ground and our secondees in the Coalition's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) are aware of their responsibilities under Resolution 1325. A gender expert from the Women's Equality Unit at the Department for Trade and Industry will soon join ORHA to focus on these issues.

Arms Sales

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has collated on the extent of compliance by EU countries with the EU code of conduct on arms sales since its introduction.

Mike O'Brien: Information on the extent of compliance with the EU Code of Conduct is published in the Annual Report on the EU Code of Conduct. Copies are available from the Libraries of the House.
	We work closely with our EU partners to ensure that all member states apply the Code in a consistent manner. Member states share information on refused arms export licences and if another member state wishes to approve an essentially similar licence, they must first consult before doing so. If they ultimately approve the licence application they must inform the consulted member state accordingly.
	Regular meetings are held where all EU member states can discuss issues and concerns. If other partners or we have any concerns these would be raised both in the relevant forum and directly with the country concerned.

Chechnya

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Russian Government on their intervention in Chechnya.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has raised the human rights and humanitarian situation in the republic in meetings with the Russian Foreign Minister, and stressed the importance of a political solution to the conflict. He has also pressed the Russian government to renew the mandate of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya.

Chemical Weapons

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of papers submitted by the United Kingdom to the Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons convention; and if he will make a statement on progress made with compliance with the convention.

Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom has tabled a total of nine papers at the CWC Review Conference. A further UK paper on Challenge Inspections has been adopted as an EU Paper. This represents by far the largest contribution of any State Party. I will place copies of all 10 papers in the Library of the House, together with a copy of the UK national statement to the Conference. In this we welcomed the progress made towards universality of the convention and the extensive world-wide inspection and monitoring regime that has been put in place by the OPCW. The UK also stressed the central importance of compliance with all the obligations of the CWC and urged other States Parties to follow the lead the UK has set in actively seeking clarification of national declarations. The UK believes that the CWC can play a significant role in deterring offensive CW programmes and in the war against terrorism.

Conflict Diamonds

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the proportion of conflict diamonds reaching European markets.

Bill Rammell: There is no definitive figure for rough diamonds sold illegally to fund civil conflict. Industry analysts estimated that, during the time of the conflicts in Sierra Leone and Angola, these diamonds accounted for some 4 per cent. of the world trade in rough diamonds. With the establishment of peace in both countries, that estimate has been revised down to less than 2 per cent.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the Democratic Republic of Congo on diamond smuggling in the Central African Republic.

Bill Rammell: Foreign Office officials attending the Kimberley Process plenary session in Johannesburg from 2830 April held extensive discussions with the head of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) delegation. DRC officials explained the problems their country continued to face, in view of the improving but still difficult internal situation and the activities of their immediate neighbours, in particular in relation to the removal of rough diamonds from the DRC. In response the UK delegation underlined the need to enhance the transparency and monitoring provisions of the Kimberley Process certification scheme in order to highlight trade anomalies and possible illegal practices.
	The plenary session resulted in agreement on the detail of the regular exchange of statistical data and on the screening of all members and applicants to ensure their laws and regulations meet the minimum common standards required by the scheme, two helpful initiatives on transparency and monitoring. The meeting also agreed to send a specific monitoring mission to the Central African Republic in the near future in order to assess compliance.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Belgian Government on Belgium's annual import of diamonds from the Central African Republic.

Bill Rammell: Foreign Office officials have had regular contact with their Belgian, French and European Commission counterparts over the situation in the Central African Republic following events there on 15 March. In particular, the European Community made it clear to other members of the Kimberley Process that in the immediate aftermath of the coup in Bangui the Kimberley Process should temporarily withdraw recognition of the CAR Kimberley certificate, thereby effectively suspending all exports of rough diamonds from that country.
	The Kimberley Process has since agreed to lift the suspension, but only in exchange for agreement to send a monitoring mission to determine whether the controls exercised in the CAR meet the minimum common standards required by the Kimberley certification scheme. A member of the Foreign Office's Kimberly implementation unit will be part of that mission.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the Central African Republic's (a) annual production of diamonds and (b) annual export of diamonds.

Bill Rammell: Although there are no recent export figures available, we understand that the Central African Republic, before the change in government in mid-March, was reporting exports of rough diamonds worth approximately $ 100 million per year, most to Belgium. The authorities in Bangui have reportedly suspended the licences of diamond operators in the country, pending their review and re-issuing.
	Meanwhile the Kimberley Process will send a monitoring mission to the Central African Republic in the near future to determine whether the internal controls regulating the diamond industry meet the minimum common standards set by the Kimberley certification scheme.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with President George W.Bush regarding measures to combat the trade in illegal conflict diamonds.

Bill Rammell: FCO officials have made several representations in Washington about the need for a US legal base for implementing the Kimberley Process certification scheme for rough diamonds, the principal international tool for tackling conflict diamonds, and for effective interim domestic measures. We were pleased that President Bush signed into law, on 25 April the Clean Diamond Trade Act. This has strengthened compliance with the scheme and will encourage many other countries hoping to be part of the Kimberley Process to ensure their legislation, regulations, rules and procedures are completed as soon as possible.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with compliant participant countries in the Kimberley process regarding other participant countries who have broken agreements on the trade of conflict diamonds.

Bill Rammell: The Kimberley Process certification scheme met in plenary session in Johannesburg from 2830 April to discuss, among other things, compliance issues. The meeting produced agreement in several areas, including the establishment of an internal committee to ensure that all current and future members of the Kimberley Process have adopted laws, regulations, rules and procedures that meet the minimum common standards set by the scheme.
	The meeting also agreed to send a monitoring mission to the Central African Republic, following the coup d'etat on 15 March, to check that the internal controls required to meet the scheme's standards remain effective. A separate Kimberley Process mission to Liberia will take place if requested by the United Nations under the terms of current UN Security Council resolutions on Liberia.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of international measures to break the link between the trade of rough diamonds and armed conflict.

Bill Rammell: The Kimberley Process certification scheme on the trade in rough diamonds is an international agreement adopted last November by 45 governments, the European Community, representatives of civil society and the World Diamond Council. It requires its members to ensure that it produces, exports and imports only rough stones certified by member governments as free of conflict diamonds. Since its adoption a further 25 countries have applied to join, making the Kimberley Process a truly inclusive scheme, embracing all diamond producers and major trading and processing states.
	Implementation of the scheme began on 1 January 2003. At its first review meeting in Johannesburg from 2830 April, the members of the Kimberley Process agreed further measures to increase effective implementation and to ensure consistent compliance with the minimum common standards laid down in the scheme. Initial results are very encouraging, helped by peace processes in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. A further more detailed assessment will take place at the next Kimberley meeting in October.

Conflict Diamonds

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the annual global diamond trade he estimates is made up of conflict diamonds.

Bill Rammell: Industry analysts estimate that, following the cessation of hostilities in Sierra Leone and in Angola, less than 2 per cent. of the world's trade in rough diamonds is made up of conflict diamonds, that is stones sold illegally to fund civil war.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 16 May 2002, Official Report, column 808W. No relevant legislation has been enacted since then.

Middle East

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the reports from Israel that the terrorist responsible for the suicide bombing on 29 April in Tel Aviv and his accomplice were British citizens; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Metropolitan Police Service Anti-Terrorist Branch is liaising very closely with the Israeli authorities and is carrying out inquiries into all relevant aspects of this case, including reports that the terrorist and his accomplice were British citizens. A team of UK officers travelled to Tel Aviv on 2 May to talk to the Israelis.

Middle East

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures have been put in place to exert pressure on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to comply with the roadmap for peace in the Middle East.

Mike O'Brien: We expect both sides to work enthusiastically to implement the roadmap, recognising that the interests of both peoples are best served by ending the violence and negotiating a just and lasting settlement, in the way it sets out. Exerting external pressure at this early stage would, we believe, send quite the wrong message about the roadmap's intrinsic merits.

Middle East

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what independent monitoring mechanisms will be put in place to ensure compliance with each phase of the roadmap for the Middle East.

Mike O'Brien: The roadmap contains provision for third party monitoring of the agreement. The quartet is currently in the process of drawing up a mechanism to achieve this. We shall expect all parties to co-operate with it fully and are ready to provide whatever assistance we can to ensure its success.

Middle East

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from (a) the Israeli Defence Force and (b) the United Nations on the killing of Mr. Ian Hook; and if he will place these in the Library.

Mike O'Brien: The Israelis have reported privately to Mr. Hook's family on the findings of their investigation. A copy of the UN report has been passed privately to Mr. Hook's family. The UN has not published its report and has no plans to do so at this stage.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Enterprise Zones

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of enterprise zones; and whether he plans to bring forward a successor scheme when enterprise zones end in 2005.

Tony McNulty: Enterprise Zones have been subject to continuous monitoring since 1981. Monitoring of the remaining zones will continue until the final designations come to an end in 2006. To date there have also been three evaluation studies of Enterprise Zones. A final evaluation will be conducted in 2007. There are no plans at present to extend or replace the Enterprise Zone programme.

Fire Service (Somerset)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many man hours have been lost in the Somerset Fire Service as a result of strike action in the past 12 months.

Nick Raynsford: Information on the exact number of man-hours lost in the Somerset Fire Service due to strike action is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, there are two shifts in a 24-hour period. Twenty shifts were severely affected by strike action by members of the Fire Brigades Union in November 2002, six in January 2003 and four in February 2003.

Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed withdrawal of Local Authority Social Housing Grant upon the number of new social housing starts in (a) inner London, (b) London and (c) England after the current transitional arrangements are withdrawn.

Tony McNulty: Local Authority Social Housing Grant is being ended to allow the resources to be better targeted to achieve the objectives set out in Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future. No estimates have been made on the impact this will have on the number of social housing dwellings provided, either in total or in particularly locations. That will depend on a number of factors, including, in particular, the recommendations from the new Regional Housing Boards on what and where the available resources should be spent.

Housing

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received about the Regulatory Reform (Housing Management Agreements) Order.

Tony McNulty: Fifty three responses were finally received as a result of the consultation paper on the proposed changes in the Order. Responses had also been received from an earlier consultation, five of which were from persons different to those received from the consultation paper. Details of the majority of the representations can be found in the Explanatory Document on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at: http://www.housing.odpm.gov.uk/information/hma/index.htm.

Housing

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what classes of workers are included in the category of key worker;
	(2)  what criteria his Department uses to identify key workers in relation to the provision of affordable housing;
	(3)  what plans he has to include prison officers in the category of key worker for the provision of affordable housing.

Tony McNulty: The key worker groups prioritised for assistance under the Starter Home Initiative and the Challenge Fund are teachers, police, nurses and other essential health workers. This reflects the importance the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister attaches to addressing recruitment and retention problems in the key public services of education, health, and policing.
	From 200405 funding for the provision of key worker housing will be integrated into the Housing Corporation's main affordable housing programme and will target key public sector workers. The Housing Corporation expects to invite bids for key worker housing schemes at the same time as bids for other affordable housing schemes, around September 2003. It will be made clear by that stage which key worker groups will qualify for assistance.

Parliamentary Boundaries (Wales)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress the Boundary Commission has made with its report on the new parliamentary boundaries for Wales; and when it is expected to complete its deliberations.

Christopher Leslie: The Boundary Commission for Wales announced the start of its review of parliamentary constituencies in Wales on 16 December 2002. It expects to publish draft recommendations for all the Welsh counties towards the end of this year; and to make its report to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister early in 2005.

Parliamentary Questions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many answers to (a) written and (b) oral parliamentary questions have required correction by his Department in each of the past two years.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. During the period from 29 May 2002 to 14 April 2003, one pursuant parliamentary question has been tabled by the Office.

People with Disabilities

Clive Soley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his proposed planning legislation will require new developments to incorporate access rights for people with disabilities.

Tony McNulty: Clause 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill requires those responsible for preparing regional and spatial strategies and local development documents to exercise those functions with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development. Sustainable development will be defined in guidance, but is already clearly set out in the Government's statement on sustainable development 'A Better Quality of LifeA Strategy for sustainable development for the UKMay 1999'. This will mean that planning policy makers, developers, and decision makers at national and local levels must take full account of the social, economic and environmental impacts of proposed developmentsincluding the needs of people with disabilities.
	Another measure to help bring about accessible environments is for local planning authorities to engage in better quality and wider consultation with local communities, including disabled people, at the start of the planning process. The new planning legislation will require local authorities to prepare Statements of Community Involvement which will set out how they will consult with local communities on preparing their local development plans.

Standards Board

Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in how many, and in what percentage, of the cases that have been referred to the Standards Board for England the Board has found a serious breach of conduct.

Christopher Leslie: It is for the Adjudication Panel for England to determine whether there has been a breach of the code of conduct.
	To 30 April 2003 the Standards Board for England had received 3,211 allegations of misconduct. Of these 1,216 (38 per cent.) have been referred for further investigation and, of 569 cases so far completed, 121 (21 per cent. of completed investigations) have been referred to the Adjudication Panel for England. Since January 2003 the Panel have considered 44 cases, of which 38 (86 per cent. of Adjudication Panel Cases) have led to disqualification from office, two (5 per cent.) to suspension, one to a reprimand and in one case no breach was found; of the remainder one was withdrawn and the other case was suspended.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Courts

Edward Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans there are for the temporary closure of courts as a result of departmental overspending; which courts are likely to be affected; an on what basis they are selected.

Yvette Cooper: There are no plans to close any Crown or County Courts in England and Wales temporarily in order to contain expenditure.
	Decisions to close, or retain, Magistrates' Courts are not made by my Department, but by locally based Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCC).

Courts

Edward Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether the Lord Chancellor plans to introduce reduced sitting days for courts.

Yvette Cooper: The Lord Chancellor has no present intention of doing so.
	In fact the planned number of sitting days in the Crown Court for 200304 has been increased from 101,297 in 200203, to 101,500. This is to take account of the increase in workload.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by the Lord Chancellor's Department since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: An exhaustive list of new offences could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I can however provide the following information about new offences enacted since 1 May 1997.
	The Access to Justice Act 1999 created two offences: misrepresentation in relation to the Community Legal Service/Criminal Defence Service, and unauthorised disclosure of personal information supplied for enforcing warrants. The first offence replaces the similar offences in relation to legal aid under the Legal Aid Act 1988.
	The European Communities (Lawyer's Practice) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/1119) created an offence for a European lawyer to practice in England and Wales and Northern Ireland without registering with the relevant competent authority. This was a regulation made by the Lord Chancellor implementing a European directive.
	The Land Registration Act 2002 creates two new offences, of suppression of information and improper alteration of the registers.

Market Testing

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 200203.

Rosie Winterton: My Department did not carry out any market testing exercises in 200203.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Lambeth Palace Library

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Church Commissioners have for Lambeth Palace Library; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: In response to the report, Resourcing Archbishops, the Commissioners have in consultation with the other National Institutions of the Church of England initiated a review of the arrangements for the housing and conservation of the 'documentary heritage' held by the National Institutions. The review will consider in particular the future of Lambeth Palace Library and, through consultation, will seek to define the purposes and role of the collections and examine ways of increasing public access. It will also consider the current preservation requirements and resourcing issues.
	The terms of reference have been agreed by the Commissioners' Bishoprics and Cathedrals Committee and Board of Governors, and the membership of the Review Group is now being drawn together.
	It is envisaged that the review will report next year.

HEALTH

Human Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library the paper on the setting up by West Sussex County Council of safe houses for children and young people who have been trafficked into the United Kingdom.

Jacqui Smith: There is no paper, prepared by the Department of Health, on the setting up by West Sussex County Council of its safe house for trafficked children.
	The establishment of safe house arrangements for these children was undertaken by West Sussex County Council, in pursuit of its duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in its area, in accordance with the Children Act 1989.

Benzodiazepines/Anti-depressants

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what quantity of each individual (a) benzodiazepine and (b) antidepressant was prescribed by doctors in England in 2002.

Jacqui Smith: Quantities of individual benzodiazepine and antidepressant drugs dispensed in the community in England for the most recent 12 months, for which data are currently available, have been placed in the Library.

Vaccines

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the link between mercury in vaccines given to babies and (a) autism and (b) heart disease.

Hazel Blears: Thiomersal is an ethylmercury-containing compound that has played an important role either as a preservative or in the initial stages of the manufacture of some vaccines for over 60 years. As with all medicinal products, the Medicines and Healthcare Products RegulatoryAgency (MHRA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) keep the safety of thiomersal-containing vaccines under continual review. The CSM has reviewed the safety, including postulated neurological adverse effects, of thiomersal-containing vaccines on a number of occasions.
	CSM has recently reviewed two UK-based epidemiological studies that have provided reassuring results regarding the safety of thiomersal in vaccines, in relation to neurodevelopmental disorders. One of these studies, which used the United Kingdom's general practice research database (GPRD), specifically investigated whether there is any link between early thiomersal exposure through immunisation and autism. This study concluded that administration of thiomersal through childhood immunisation in the UK was not associated with an increased risk of developing a neurological developmental disability, including autism.
	The CSM has carefully considered the results of a recent study, by Geier and Geier, that suggests an association between thiomersal exposure through the United States childhood immunisation schedule and the development of autism and heart disease. CSM advised that the methodology in this publication had been inadequately described and that the authors conclusions regarding the association between thiomersal in vaccines and autism, speech disorders and heart disease are not justified. The CSM has advised that, with the exception of allergic reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site, there is no evidence of harm from thiomersal contained in vaccines. The CSM has advised that the benefits of immunisation with thiomersal-containing vaccines outweigh any potential risks of vaccination.

Vaccines

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to phase out the use of mercury in vaccines given to babies.

Hazel Blears: The only vaccines used in the United Kingdom routine childhood immunisation programme that contain a mercury compound are diphtheria, tetanus and whole cell pertussis and diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. The mercury is present as ethylmercury in the excipient thiomersal.
	While there is no evidence of harm caused by thiomersal in vaccines, the European Medicines Evaluation Agency recommended that it would be prudent to promote the use of vaccines without thiomersal as a precautionary measure. The Committee on Safety of Medicines has endorsed this recommendation and continues to do so. Manufacturers are actively developing research programmes to eliminate, substitute or reduce thiomersal in vaccines following these recommendations. This may take time because manufacturers are required to ensure that the reduction, replacement or elimination of thiomersal does not affect the safety, quality and efficacy of the final vaccine.
	To date, a number of UK licensed vaccines have had levels of thiomersal reduced or removed completely from the manufacture of the component antigens or from the final vaccine. These developments are regularly reviewed and on 1 April 2003, a letter was sent from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to UK vaccine marketing authorisation holders, asking for an update on progress in reducing or removing thiomersal from vaccines.

Care Homes (North-West)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in (a) St. Helens, (b) Merseyside, (c) Wigan and (d) Warrington in the care home sector in each of the past five years.

Jacqui Smith: The latest available information on the number of residential and nursing care home places in St. Helens, Merseyside, Wirral and Warrington is shown in the table.
	
		Residential and Nursing home places in St. Helens, Merseyside, Wigan and Warrington 19972001
		
			  Total number of care home places(18) 
			 As at 31 March 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 St. Helens and Knowsley area(19) 2,860 2,960 2,750 2,890 2,760 
			 Merseyside area(20) 18,910 20,060 19,260 18,900 18,490 
			 Wigan and Bolton area(21) 4,250 4,920 5,070 5,060 4,680 
			 North Cheshire area(22),(23) n/a n/a 3,060 3,170 3,170 
		
	
	(18) Total includes places in residential LA staffed, independent and dual registered homes, and beds in general and mental nursing homes, private hospitals and clinics.
	(19) Nursing data refers to St. Helens and Knowsley health authority. Residential data refers to Knowsley and St. Helens metropolitan districts.
	(20) Residential data for Merseyside refers to Knowsley, St. Helens, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral metropolitan districts. Nursing data refers to St. Helens and Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral health authorities.
	(21) Nursing data refers to Wigan and Bolton health authority. Residential data refers to Bolton and Wigan metropolitan district.
	(22) Nursing data refers to North Cheshire health authority. Residential refers to Halton and Warrington Unitary Authorities.
	(23) Halton and Warrington Unitary Authorities did not exist prior to 1999, therefore data for 1997 and 1998 is not available.Source:RA Form A and RH(N) forms, Department of Healthn/anot available

Continuing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the results were of the exercise his Department commissioned from Strategic Health Authorities to assess the numbers of people who have been incorrectly denied continuing care funding; what actions he is taking in the light of the results; what guidance he gave to ensure consistency of approach by strategic health authorities; which strategic health authorities (a) replied by the deadline, (b) have yet to reply and (c) have replied but about which the Department has queries; and if he will publish the submissions sent to the Department by each strategic health authority.

Jacqui Smith: As a result of the assessments carried out by Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs), the Department, working closely with SHAs, has agreed a procedure for estimating the numbers of people who may have been wrongly denied continuing care.
	All SHAs replied by the deadline and based on the information received, further clarification of this information has been requested from SHAs.
	There is no intention at this time to publish the information received from SHAs.

Correspondence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acknowledgement letters and cards were dispatched by his Department in each year since 1997, for which figures are available; and what the estimated average cost was per letter and card.

David Lammy: Figures for 1997 are not available.
	Between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002, 84,715 acknowledgements were sent.
	Costs were minimal, with replies generated electronically and most sent to hon. Members by internal courier.

Doctors

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors there are per head of population in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West of England.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All GP Practitioners(24) and HCHS Medical  Dental staff(25) per head of population in North West region, as at 30 September 2001 -- Number (headcount)
		
			  All GP practitioners(24) All medial and dental staff(25) Population All GP practitioners per head of population All GP practitioners per 100,000 population All medial and dental staff per head of population All medical and dental staff per 100,000 population 
		
		
			 North West Region 4,052 9,571 6,450,535 0.0006 62.8 0.0015 148.4 
			 Of which:
			 East Lancashire HA 302 527 517,563 0.0006 58.4 0.0010 101.8 
			 North West Lancashire HA 268 776 451,001 0.0006 59.4 0.0017 172.1 
			 South Lancashire HA 180 180 312,982 0.0006 57.5 0.0006 57.5 
		
	
	(24) All GP Practitioners includes: GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, GP Retainers, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA) and PMS others
	(25) Includes Hospital Medical Hospital Practitioners and excludes Hospital Practitioners and Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part-time in hospitals
	Sources:
	1. Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
	2. Department of Health Medical  Dental workforce census
	3. ONS 2001 resident based population estimates

Doctors

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recourse a general practitioner has who wishes to complain about unacceptable behaviour of (a) a patient and (b) an associate acting on the patient's behalf.

John Hutton: Patients have a duty to use the health service responsibly. General practitioners (GPs) should have a local policy in place to ensure that the unacceptable behaviour of patients, or their associates, is tackled. These policies may form part of a wider primary care trust strategy for dealing with violent and abusive patients. As a final recourse a GP is free to remove any patient from their list.

Fire Incidents

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) fires and (b) false fire alarms there were in the NHS in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: Reporting of fire incidents and false alarms by national health service trusts became mandatory in 1998. The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Fire incidents False alarms 
		
		
			 200102 6,271 25,137 
			 200001 5,730 25,317 
			 19992000 5,625 23,777 
			 199899 6,229 20,747 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for 200203 are not yet available.
	The incidents identified in the above table represent the number of occasions when fire services attended NHS sites. As such, it includes incidents of varying degrees of severity, with the vast majority resulting from circumstances such as burnt toast, smoke or steam from cooking and contractor activity.

Health Professionals

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital-based doctors and consultants have left NHS hospitals in Sunderland in the last three years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally. The number of consultants employed by national health service trusts in Sunderland is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS)Medical and dental staff by employing organisation -- Number (headcount)
		
			   HHS medical and dental Hospital medical and dental 
			 As at September each year  All staff Consultants All staff Consultants 
		
		
			 1999  
			 Sunderland area  396 143 381 143 
			 Sunderland City Hospitals NHS Trust RLN 353 125 338 125 
			 Wearside Priority Health Care NHS Trust RLH 43 18 43 18 
			   
			 2000  
			 Sunderland area  403 144 390 144 
			 Sunderland City Hospitals NHS Trust RLN 361 126 348 126 
			 Wearside Priority Health Care NHS Trust RLH 42 18 42 18 
			   
			 2001  
			 Sunderland area  409 160 400 160 
			 Sunderland City Hospitals NHS Trust RLN 366 139 357 139 
			 Wearside Priority Health Care NHS Trust RLH 43 21 43 21 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Health Professionals

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses in (a) Sunderland Royal Hospital, (b) Hartlepool General Hospital, (c) North Tees Hospital and (d) University Hospital Durham are training to become nurse practitioners.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested on nurses training to become nurse practitioners is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Trust Nurse practitioners in training 
		
		
			 City Hospitals Sunderland National Health Service Trust(Sunderland Royal Hospital) 8 
			 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NationalHealth Service Trust (University Hospital of Durham) 2 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool National Health Service Trust(University Hospital of Hartlepool and University Hospitalof North Tees) 6

Cancer Services (Havering)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) throat, (b) prostate, (c) bowel, (d) breast and (e) lung cancer patients in the London Borough of Havering were treated successfully in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The Department does not collect the information requested.

Hospital Reconfiguration Reviews

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS hospitals which are subject to reconfiguration reviews.

John Hutton: The Department does not collect information centrally on configuration reviews and there is no obligation on the National Health Service locally to report on every service change they are considering.
	All strategic health authorities are in the process of agreeing local delivery plans for the next three years. These show systematically how improvements will be made locally to deliver the increases in capacity and quality set out in the document 'Improvement, Expansion and Reform: Priorities and Planning Framework 20032006' and include acute hospital services.

Hospital Reconfiguration Reviews

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on the future configuration of NHS hospitals.

John Hutton: 'Keeping the NHS LocalA New Direction of Travel' was published on 14 February. The service models in the document are presented for consultation, which were presented to stimulate discussion and debate. The consultation closes on 14 May in line with Cabinet Office guidelines and we will be publishing a short summary of responses on the configuring hospitals website in due course.

Ambulatory Care

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the Government is piloting the hospital models for local ambulatory care.

John Hutton: Keeping the NHS LocalA New Direction of Travel highlighted the developing role of ambulatory care in the provision of local health services. Many variations on this theme have already been put into practice across England, so the development work for the guidance has not included establishment of additional ambulatory care pilots.

Looked After Children

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for ealth what discussions his Department had with the (a) Department for Education and Skills, (b) the Social Exclusion Unit and (c) local authorities regarding the revision of educational targets for looked after children.

Jacqui Smith: Officials in the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills have worked closely with the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) on all aspects of their project on the educational attainment of looked after children, including on the development of the new targets. The SEU's work has involved extensive written and oral consultation with key stakeholders, including local government. This consultation sought views on a wide range of issues affecting children in care, including the appropriate nature and level of targets for this group.

Maternity Units

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwife-only maternity units are in operation at non-acute hospital sites; and if he will list them.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not collected centrally. The Department does not advocate any one single model of maternity care in preference to others, but acknowledges that midwife-led units play important role in the local network of services available to women during pregnancy and labour and after birth.
	The maternity records collected through the Hospital Episodes Statistics system are usually identified only to trust level, rather than to any specific unit within the trust. Some trusts provide information regarding the staff group with lead responsibility for care, for example, midwife-led or consultant-led, but this does not allow the identification of midwife-only units.

ME

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatments the NHS provides for patients with ME; and what rehabilitation courses the NHS offers to such patients.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 1 May 2003
	Decisions on what treatments and rehabilitation services a patient needs are best made by the clinicians in charge of treatment. We do not hold information centrally on the treatments and rehabilitation services available to these patients.

Care Standards

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the National Care Standards Commission (Registration) (Amendment) Regulations.

Jacqui Smith: I have received no representations about the National Care Standards Commission (Registration) (Amendment) Regulations.

National IT Programme

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason Kellogg Brown and Root was selected to lead the national IT programme; and what experience they have in major IT projects.

John Hutton: holding answer 7 April 2003
	An Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) contract notice for programme management services was issued on 12 February 2003. Following the open procurement exercise Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) has been appointed to provide independent and professional support for planning activities, risk analysis, cost modelling, contracting, procurement and implementation management for the national programme for information technology.
	KBR was selected due to its established record of successfully providing such services to the UK public sector and private and public sector clients worldwide. KBR is a world class company specialising in the management of such complex programmes.

Older People

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the funding of the National Service Framework for older people in (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304.

Jacqui Smith: Implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for older people is supported by the substantial additional investment that has been provided for the National Health Service since the NSF's publication in 2001. In 200102 and 200203, the NHS received average annual increases of 6.3 per cent, above inflation. Cash allocations to primary care trusts in the three years from 200304 will provide an average increase over the three years of more than 30 per cent.

NHS Pilots

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the next stage of appraisal of the pilots at the (a) Central Middlesex, (b) Bishop Auckland and (c) West Cornwall hospitals will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The National Co-ordinating Centre for the service delivery and organisation research and development programme is commissioning a national research project to evaluate all three of the hospital pilots. The closing date for outline applications was 16 April. Full proposals will be invited shortly.

NHS Trusts

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last made a direction to (a) an NHS trust and (b) all NHS trusts; and what that direction was.

John Hutton: As stated in my earlier reply to my hon. Friend on Wednesday 29 January, Official Report, column 899W, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not issued any directions recently to individual National Health Service trusts.
	The most recent direction that was made that affected all NHS trusts, was on 30 April 2003, and was entitled 'NHS Trust Schedules for the transfer of charitable funds'.

Hospital Discharges

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of NHS beds which could be released by programmes of earlier planned discharges.

Jacqui Smith: There has been a continued reduction in delayed discharges in England since September 2001, freeing up national health service capacity. The latest figures show that in December 2002, there were 4,586 people delayed on any one day, compared to 7,065 in September 2001. The provisions of the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc) Act 2003 will ensure that this reduction continues, to reach the target of minimal delays by 2006.

PET Scanners

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full positron emission tomograph scanners are available in the NHS; and where they are located.

Hazel Blears: There are five positron emission tomography (PET) scanners in National Health Service hospitals in England used for routine clinical assessments. They are situated at Guys, St. Thomas', Middlesex, Mount Vernon and Hammersmith Hospitals. Four other PET scanners are used primarily for research and are located in dedicated research facilities in London, Cambridge and Manchester. In addition, three private facilities, including a new mobile PET scanner in London, are available for NHS patients.

PET Scanners

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for PET scans.

Hazel Blears: Data is not collected centrally on waiting times for positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The length of time that a patient may have to wait for any scan is dependent on their clinical condition. Emergency cases need to be seen immediately. Other cases will be carried out as quickly as possible, dependent on the clinical priority of all patients waiting to be scanned.
	Where a scan forms part of the diagnostic process for a patient urgently referred with suspected cancer, this will be covered by the target of a maximum two months wait from urgent referral to first treatment, which will be in place for all cancers by the end of 2005.

Prisoners (Mental Health)

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision there is in the prison health service for the delivery of mental health services through the medium of Welsh to Welsh prisoners held in jails in England.

Jacqui Smith: Mental health services at individual establishments are planned and delivered by local management and its national health service partners, drawing on jointly completed local health needs assessments and the more general guidance in Changing the Outlook A Strategy for Developing and Modernising Health Services in Prisons (December 2001). The strategy drew particular attention to the culturally diverse nature of the prison population and made it clear that prisons are expected to identify the needs of every element of their population and ensure that the mental health services provided are sensitive to them. This includes providing information in languages other than English and ensuring that, where necessary, prisoners have ready access to interpreters.

School Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms there are for school nurses to address the particular needs of young carers.

Jacqui Smith: School nurses work within schools and local communities. They are ideally placed to help to identify young people who are young carers and either directly support them in their role within the family or act as an advocate to help them find the support they need from other services, such as education and social services.

Senior Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all hospitals in England have in place for 200203 senior nurses with a ward environment budget of over 5,000; and whether his Department monitors this centrally.

John Hutton: Information on the number and value of ward environment budgets is monitored centrally. Data for 200203 is not yet available.

SARS

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers he has to detain suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome; and on what basis he would exercise the power.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 April 2003
	The Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations 1979 does provide the power to detain for examination any person leaving an aircraft where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that they are suffering from or have been exposed to infection. There is a similar provision in the Public Health (Ships) Regulations.
	We remain vigilant to the threat posed by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to public health in this country and keep our policy under regular review.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he will monitor and report the effectiveness of the new arrangements for specialist commissioning.

John Hutton: Strategic health authorities and collaborative commissioning groups and associated service-specific consortia will report regularly to their member primary care trusts and should report at least annually on a formal basis to them. In addition, the individual PCTs will cover the commissioning of specialised services in their annual reports.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Level 2 groups for specialised commissioning have scope to set up a national group for planning purposes.

John Hutton: If Level 2 specialised services commissioning groups wish to set up a national group for planning purposes they are free to do so. One such group, (severe) Burn Care Services has already been established.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether regional specialised commissioning groups may continue to commission specialised services where constituent primary care trusts so determine.

John Hutton: Primary care trusts are required to belong to collaborative commissioning groups for specialised services and agree the remit, powers and rules of engagement of these groups. Level 2 collaborative commissioning groups, which will generally cover the same or similar area to the former regional specialised commissioning groups, commission those specialised services with planning populations around three to six million. Level 1 collaborative commissioning groups cover services with planning population of one to two million.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the decisions of a commissioning consortium for specialised services will be binding on a primary care trust which declines to join the consortium.

John Hutton: The remit, powers and rules of engagement of collaborative specialised services commissioning groups are agreed by the member primary care trusts (PCTs) and the decisions of these groups are binding on all members. Strategic health authorities performance manage such arrangements and ensure all PCTs belong to an appropriate collaborative commissioning group.
	It is up to the collaborative commissioning group to decide whether to set up service-specific consortia and what form these will take.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action will be taken if a primary care trust declines to join a commissioning consortium as recommended in the recent guidelines on specialised commissioning.

John Hutton: It is a requirement for all primary care trusts to belong to collaborative commissioning groups and it is the strategic health authority's responsibility to ensure that all their primary care trusts do so. It is up to the collaborative commissioning group to decide whether to set up service-specific consortia and what form these will take.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will protect spending on specialised services in real terms for a further year.

John Hutton: To ensure stability during 200203, whilst primary care trusts (PCTs) assumed responsibility for commissioning specialised services, they were asked to honour previously agreed financial commitments and programmes of service reviews for specialised services. This commitment will not be extended to 200304.

Specialised Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the preparedness of primary care trusts to assume responsibility for specialised commissioning has improved since the Department of Health conducted a review last year.

John Hutton: In January 2002, the Department undertook a survey of commissioning arrangements for specialised services. At that time, health authorities were the bodies responsible for commissioning. The survey did not therefore consider the role of primary care trusts, which have been responsible for commissioning since April 2002.

Specialised Commissioning

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how he will monitor and report the effectiveness of the new arrangements for specialised commissioning;
	(2)  whether regional specialised commissioning groups will continue to commission specialised services where constituent primary care trusts so determine.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the responses I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Berry) above.

X-Rays (Digital Transmission)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the digital transmission of x-rays is in use.

Hazel Blears: A list of the health care sites where digital transmission is used to transfer information from x-ray machines is not held centrally.

Young Carers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms will be included in the Children's NSF to ensure that health and social services professionals consult young carers on their needs.

Jacqui Smith: The national service framework (NSF) will help to ensure that care is centred on the child or young person and that health and social services are designed and delivered around their needs. It will also ensure that young people and their families can take an active part in making decisions about their care.
	An expert working group has been established to focus specifically on the needs of 'children in special circumstances', which is intended to include young carers. The NSF aims to narrow the gap in outcomes between children in special circumstances and their peers by putting in place systems to identify children such as child carers, offer them high quality, holistic assessment, and to promote and safeguard their health and wellbeing. The NSF will ensure that health and social care professionals are aware of the needs of young carers, and actively consult with them in planning any decisions which affect them. In support of this work, a wide-ranging series of consultations have been held with different groups of children in special circumstances, including one with a young carers group.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in 2002.

Paul Murphy: Within the Northern Ireland Office, including its Agencies but excluding NDPBs, the total cost for accountancy services in the financial year 200102 was 25,730.56.
	Within the Northern Ireland administration, excluding Agencies and NDPBs, the total cost for accountancy services in 2002 was 833,344.

Administrative Costs

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the administrative costs were of the Northern Ireland Office as a percentage of total spending since 1999.

Paul Murphy: Full details of the administrative costs and total annual expenditure for the Northern Ireland Office from 1999 were set out in the NIO 2002 Departmental Report, which is available in the Parliamentary Library. Copies of the relevant pages from the Report are as follows. The 2003 Departmental Report will be published in May.
	The percentages of the administrative costs against the Resource Budget, using the figures from the 2003 report, are as follows (approximately):
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 199899 16.5 
			 19992000 15.4 
			 200001 15.9 
			 200102 12.5 
			 200203 18.8 
		
	
	
		Table 1.2: NIO Resource Budget -- 000
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 2002- 03 200304 
			 Consumption of resources by activity Outturn Outturn Outturn Estimated Outturn Plans Plans 
		
		
			 Police 608 608 685 847 848 777 
			 of which   
			 Ongoing operational costs 608 608 656 733 691 752 
			 Patten Report reforms and Civilianisation 0 0 4 18 11 11 
			 Patten Report downsizing 0 0 25 97 146 14 
			
			 Criminal Justice 32 31 28 36 46 78 
			 Public Prosecution Service 11 11 12 13 10 10 
			 Prisons 146 253 -2 110 108 112 
			 Compensation Agency 109 73 77 73 94 66 
			 Bloody Sunday Inquiry/Weston Park Inquiry 7 12 16 19 5 0 
			 Other 17 55 43 58 67 57 
			 Total Northern Ireland Resource Budget 929 1,043 859 1,157 1,179 1,101 
			
			 of which   
			 NIO departmental expenditure limit (DEL) 964 956 916 1,057 1,092 984 
			 Non-cash items in AME 54 179 -60 52 51 66 
			 of which   
			 Depreciation 26 28 29 30 33 39 
			 Cost of capital charges 28 28 29 29 35 40 
			 Changes in provisions and other changes 0 123 -119 -6 -18 -13 
		
	
	
		Table 1.4: NIO Administration -- 000
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 2002- 03 200304 
			  Outturn Outturn Outturn Estimated Outturn Plans Plans 
		
		
			 Gross Administration Costs   
			 Paybill 137 133 115 120   
			 Other 23 37 30 39   
			 Total Gross Administration Costs 160 171 146 159 152 154 
			 Related Administration Cost Receipts -7 -8 -8 -9 -7 -8 
			 Total net administration costs 154 162 138 151 145 146 
			 of which   
			 Departmental expenditure limit (DEL) 154 162 138 151 145 146 
			 Non-cash AME   
			
			 Total net administration costs by activity:   
			 Police 5 4 4 4 4 4 
			 Criminal Justice 4 3 5 6 11 11 
			 Public Prosecution Service 7 6 6 7 6 6 
			 Prison 123 114 97 95 90 91 
			 Compensation Agency 5 3 3 3 4 3 
			 Bloody Sunday Inquiry/Weston Park Talks 1 1 1 1 1  
			 Other 9 31 23 33 29 31 
			 Total Net Administration Costs 154 162 138 151 145 146 
			
			 Controls and limits:   
			 Administration costs limits for gross controlled areas   
			 NIO 154 165 139 151 145  
			 Total administration costs limits for gross controlled areas 154 165 139 151 145

Anglo-Irish Secretariat

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that all information and documentation relating to staff and security staff who worked at the former Anglo-Irish secretariat at Maryfield in Belfast is removed from site prior to its closure.

Paul Murphy: All information and documentation relating to staff and security who worked at the former Anglo-Irish Secretariat at Maryfield was removed prior to its closure in December 1998.

Antisocial Behaviour

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce new measures to deal with anti-social behaviour in Northern Ireland.

Paul Murphy: I am considering measures to deal with anti-social behaviour, and in particular, whether something similar to an Anti-Social Behaviour Order could be developed that could operate within the different local government structures which exist in Northern Ireland. In doing so I will be informed by current developments in England and Wales.

Assets Recovery Agency

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in bringing the new Assets Recovery Agency within the remit of the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice.

Des Browne: I am currently considering whether or not it would be appropriate for the Assets Recovery Agency to come within the remit of the Criminal Justice Inspector and am seeking the views of the Director of the Agency and the Home Office. I will write to the hon. Lady when a decision has been reached.

Autism

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what respite care is available for young people suffering from autistic spectrum disorders aged (a) 15 years and (b) 16 years.

Des Browne: There are no specific respite care services for children with autistic spectrum disorders in that age group. They have access to respite services available for children with disabilities including residential provision, domiciliary care, host family and fostering services, holiday schemes and day care. In recognition of a need to increase the volume of respite care places, additional funding has been made available in the current financial year for this purpose. In addition, Health and Social Services Boards have been asked to bring forward costed proposals for enhancing autism services, particularly diagnostic and assessment services.

Civil Contingencies

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's (a) responsibilities and (b) assets with regard to civil contingency planning; what funds are committed; what action he is taking within his Department to improve such planning; and what action he is taking in collaboration with other departments.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office response to this question on 21 March 2003. In Northern Ireland all government departments are responsible for ensuring that they have contingency planning arrangements in place to deal with any emergency falling within the areas for which they have responsibility.
	The Northern Ireland Office contributes (currently 5.7 per cent.) to the costs of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Police Training Centre at Winterbourne Gunner where a cadre of officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland has been trained in CBRN response.
	The Department is collaborating with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) in the Central Co-ordinated Exercise Programme to develop and promote resilience, and, along with the Central Emergency Planning Unit (CEPU) of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, is liaising with CCS on Northern Ireland aspects of the Civil Contingencies Bill.
	CEPU seeks to promote and encourage the development of effective civil protection across Northern Ireland Departments and their agencies. It does so by:
	encouraging them to develop their emergency planning capabilities;
	helping them set priorities in the field of emergency planning;
	assisting them in the writing, review and exercise of their plans;
	providing emergency planning training to meet identified needs.
	CEPU is a small Unit, which includes a dedicated Emergency Planning Development Officer who works closely with Northern Ireland Departments to establish structured development programmes across all departments.
	To ensure that contingency planning arrangements in Northern Ireland are on a par with those in the rest of the UK CEPU monitors developments within the Cabinet Office to ensure that:
	Northern Ireland interests are taken into account in the work being taken forward in GB;
	Northern Ireland Departments are kept informed of these developments, which may impact on their contingency planning arrangements.

Consultation Documents

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the consultation documents issued by his Department and its agencies in the last 12 months which remain open for submissions.

Paul Murphy: Within the Northern Ireland Office the following consultation documents have been issued by the Department in the last 12 months and were open for submission at the time this question was asked.
	
		
			 Consultation document Issued Closes 
		
		
			 The Independent review of the Parades Commission and the Public Procession (NI) Act 1998 conducted by Sir George Quigley 7 November 2002 30 April 2003 
			 Review of the State Pathologists Department in Northern Ireland The Way forward 22 January 2003 30 April 2003 
			 Road Traffic Penalties Consultation 10 March 2003 9 June 2003 
		
	
	Within the Northern Ireland administration details of all public consultation documents that have been issued from 1 January 2002 can be accessed from the following website: www.consultationni.gov.uk. The website or the documents themselves also include details of closing dates for submitting submissions. In addition, details of consultation documents can also be found by following the departmental links on www.northernireland.gov.uk.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997.

Des Browne: The legislation, both Acts and Orders in Council, sponsored by the Secretary of State's Department since 1997 which create criminal offences are the following:
	The Protection from Harassment (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 created three offences: Article 4 created the offence of harassment; Article 6 created the offence of putting people in fear of violence; and Article 7 created the offence of breach of a Civil Order or Restraining Order.
	The Public Order (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 created one offence: Article 4 created the offence of failure to surrender alcohol at public processions.
	The Criminal Justice (Children) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 created four offences: Article 4 created the offence of failure to respond to a summons issued to a parent or guardian of a child; Article 22 created the offence of breach of reporting restrictions; Article 42 created the offence of harbouring or concealing a child required to be brought to a Juvenile Justice Centre; and Article 54 created the offence of assisting the escape of a child from a Juvenile Justice Centre.
	The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 created five offences: section 63 created the offence of disclosure of information obtained by the Police Ombudsman; section 66 created the offence of assaulting or obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty; section 67 created the offence of impersonation of a police officer; section 68 created the offence of causing disaffection amongst the police; and section 69 created the offence of obtaining a pension by self-inflicted injury.
	The Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 created one offence: Article 35 created the offence of giving false unsworn evidence.
	The Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 created two offences: section 48 created the offence of failure to comply with the request for a document from the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice or obstructing him; and section 81 created the offence of assaulting a Court Security Officer.

Departmental Annual Report

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the annual report of his Department will be published.

Paul Murphy: I am sorry for the delay in replying.
	The spring 2003 departmental reports are to be published between by 16 May 2003. We shall publish our departmental report within this time, and are aiming for publication on 15 May.

Departmental Invoices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the occasions on which (a) his Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 200102.

Paul Murphy: The information is as follows:
	Within the Northern Ireland Office, in the financial year 200102:
	(a) NIO Core received 31,733 invoices81 per cent. of which, were paid promptly. 6,010 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) NIO Agencies received 27,997 invoices91 per cent. of which, were paid promptly. 2,462 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) NIO-sponsored NDPBs received 76,523 invoices92.2 per cent. of which, were paid promptly. 5,951 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	Set out are details of the invoice payment performance of each of the Departments and their agencies and NDPBs in the Northern Ireland administration in the financial year 200102:
	Department for Social Development
	(a) The Department for Social Development received 6,439 invoices93.0 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 452 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) Agencies of the Department for Social Development received 24,814 invoices96.1 per cent of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 963 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by the Department for Social Development received 487,903 invoices79.4 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 100,307 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	Department of Culture, Arts And Leisure
	(a) The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure received 1,066 invoices92.40 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 81 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) Agencies of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure received 2,127 invoices97.13 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 61 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure received 12,508 invoices76.65 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 2,920 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
	(a) The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development received 41,777 invoices92 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 3,541 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) Agencies of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development received 12,632 invoices95 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 693 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development received 8,111 invoices97 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 210 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	Note:
	For one NDPB the financial year is 1 January to 31 December. The figures included relate to their 2001 financial year.
	Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM)
	(a) OFMDFM received 9128 invoices93 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 599 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms. These figures also include details of payments made by three NDPBs whose payment process is fully integrated within the Departments.
	(b) OFMDFM does not have responsibility for any agencies.
	(c) OFMDFM sponsors one NDPB which make its own payments. Information for this NDPB is not readily available. However, based on a sample of invoices, 69 per cent. the of invoices were paid within 30 days or contract period.
	Department for Regional Development (DRD)
	(a) The Department for Regional Development received 11,507 invoices95.6 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 492 were paid outside 30 days or the contract payment terms. These figures also include details of payments made by NDPBs.
	(b) Agencies of DRD received 145,305 invoices95.2 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 6,971 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) DRD sponsors one advisory NDPB, which does not make its own payments.
	Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS)
	(a) The DHSSPS received 7,963 invoices, 92.6 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 587 invoices were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) Agencies of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure received 2,127 invoices97.13 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 61 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure received 12,508 invoices76.65 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 2,920 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	Department of Finance and Personnel
	(a) The Department of Finance and Personnel received 41,952 invoices84.6 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 6,458 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) Agencies of the Department of Finance and Personnel received 15,575 invoices95.76 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 660 were paid outside 30 days or contract period.
	(c) The Department of Finance and Personnel does not sponsor any NDPBs.
	Department of Education
	(a) The Department of Education received 1875 invoices94.51 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 103 invoices were paid outside 30 days or contract period.
	(b) The Department of Education does not have responsibility for any Agencies.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by the Department of Education received 940,316 invoices58.08 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 394,181 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	Department of the Environment
	(a) The Department of the Environment (Core) received 3476 invoices98.7 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 44 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) Agencies of the Department of the Environment received 33,001 invoices just over 94.8 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 1696 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by the Department of the Environment received 1829 invoices92 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 154 invoices were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)
	(a) The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment received 12,915 invoices96.68 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 429 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) DETI sponsors one agency it received 4,171 invoices98.56 per cent. of which, were paid within 30 days or contract period. 60 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(c) The fours NDPBs sponsored by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment received 13,601 invoices91.3 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 1,179 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms. Department for Employment and Learning (DEL)
	(a) In the financial year 200102 the Department for Employment and Learning received 12,415 invoices98.3 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 211 invoices were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms.
	(b) The Department for Employment and Learning is not responsible for any agencies.
	(c) NDPBs sponsored by DEL received 10,489 invoices, 99.96 per cent. of which were paid within 30 days or contract period. 4 were paid outside 30 days or contract payment terms. Information on two NDPBs sponsored by DEL have not been included as the information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the pay review in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Government made a commitment in response to the Equal Opportunities Commission Task Force Just Pay report, that all Departments and agencies would review their pay systems by April 2003 and prepare action plans to close any unequal pay gaps.
	The Northern Ireland Office Equal Pay Review is on-going. The Department continues to meet with unions to discuss the issues, and will report back to the Cabinet Office and staff at the review's conclusion.
	The Northern Ireland Administration, including its Agencies, carried out a review of its pay and grading arrangements in 1998, which examined the gender gap between administrative grades (majority female) and professional and technical grades (predominantly male). A programme of work that aligns the salaries of the two groups will be complete by April 2003. The need for a further equal pay audit is currently under consideration.

District Policing Partnerships

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people convicted of an offence for which a sentence of five years or more was passed have been appointed to District Policing Partnerships in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: Under the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, a person is disqualified for being an independent member of a District Policing Partnership if he or she has at any time been convicted in Northern Ireland or elsewhere of any offence and has had passed on him or her a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not).
	The answer in relation to political members appointed by District Councils could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Electronic Tagging

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the recent trial of electronically tagging juvenile sex offenders; how many individuals were involved; what cost was incurred; how much the retention of these individuals in prison would have cost; and what plans he has to implement this policy with adult offenders.

Des Browne: There has been no such trial of electronically tagging juvenile sex offenders in Northern Ireland. Indeed, there is no legal authority to allow electronic monitoring of offenders in this jurisdiction.

Environmental Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken by the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment to (a) measure the decline of saltmarsh on the shores of Strangford Lough and (b) develop a strategy to prevent further declines in this habitat.

Angela Smith: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department of the Environment has in place a monitoring programme covering Strangford Lough which assesses the condition of all the habitats and species of national and European importance. As part of this programme, the quality and quantity of saltmarsh is monitored. The information currently available to EHS does not indicate that there is any significant decline in the extent of saltmarsh around Strangford Lough.
	In September 2002, the Department launched a voluntary management scheme to maintain and enhance the habitats and species of Areas of Special Scientific Interest. This scheme is aimed at land managers and will play an important role in, among other things, helping to prevent any further decline of saltmarsh by ensuring that inappropriate management and potentially damaging activities are discouraged.

Environmental Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has to designate special protection areas to conserve the habitat of the Hen Harrier.

Angela Smith: No sites have yet been selected in Northern Ireland for the Hen Harrier under the UK Special Protection Area (SPA) Review. There have been several reasons for this. There has been limited information until now about the geographical distribution and continuity of breeding site use in relation to the species. Moreover, much of the relevant nesting habitat is commercial forest, whereas the Department's policy has been to select as SPAs only areas of natural and semi-natural habitat. Nevertheless, some sites with habitat suitable for the Hen Harrier have been designated as Areas of Special Scientific Interest and/or Special Areas of Conservation, one such example being Slieve Beagh, although none of these sites lists the Hen Harrier as a selection feature.
	However, EHS now plans to review the position based on analysis of new data on geographical distribution and breeding site use. This will be used to determine whether any site merits designation for its breeding Hen Harrier population. In arriving at this decision, EHS will take into consideration a number of criteria, including the proportion of the all-island breeding population held at the site, the density of breeding birds and the history of occupation. The process will also take into account if the southern portion of sites that straddle the border that have been identified as significant for this species by the Republic of Ireland authorities.
	It is planned to complete the review during the current financial year and, depending on the findings, to undertake public consultation thereafter.
	In the meantime, Hen Harriers and their nests continue to be afforded fall protection under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Furthermore, they are listed as a Northern Ireland priority species of conservation concern, and EHS intends to publish a Species Action Plan in the near future to address their conservation needs.

Environmental Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has taken to implement the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on Areas of Special Scientific Interest.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment is still considering the Report on Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs), which was published by the Comptroller and Auditor General on 27 March 2003. However, the Department had already identified a number of the issues which that report addressed; and steps had been taken to deal with them.
	Among these actions were, firstly, the introduction last year of the Management of Sensitive Sites scheme to provide financial incentives to landowners to encourage the proper management of ASSIs; secondly, the enactment in February this year of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 to strengthen the Department's powers to protect and manage ASSIs; thirdly, the allocation of additional resources to the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department in the 2002 Northern Ireland Budget, for the designation, management and protection of ASSIs.
	These actions deal with key aspects of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report. The remaining conclusions and recommendations of the report are under consideration.

Environmental Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has to eradicate the Ruddy Duck in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The establishment of the American Ruddy Duck as a breeding species in Europe has been widely acknowledged as a threat to the native European White-headed Duck. The UK Government accepts in principle that the Ruddy Duck should be eradicated as a wild species in the UK and the rest of Europe, in accordance with Article 8 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In practice, the Government is investigating alternative methods of controlling the population.
	Great Britain, with around 5,800 birds, holds by far the largest population in Europe. Northern Ireland's population is thought to be about 125. The Ruddy Duck is currently protected under Northern Ireland legislation.
	As Ruddy Duck are known to be elusive, I have asked the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) to confirm the scale of the problem in Northern Ireland by undertaking a survey of small water bodies in the area where they are known to occur. I have also asked EHS to investigate and advise me on the possible need for a change in the legislative status of the species. As well as undertaking these studies, EHS will monitor research taking place into the most efficient and humane method of eradication, and advise me on how these findings might be applied in Northern Ireland.

Environmental Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Environment and Heritage Service has to establish a formal enforcement policy for the protection of areas of special scientific interest as promised in the EHS Corporate Plan for 199697.

Angela Smith: In November 2001, the Department of the Environment published for consultation proposals for legislative changes to strengthen the management and protection of ASSIs. These took account of comments received during earlier public consultation in March 2001. The proposals were given statutory effect in the Environment (NI) Order 2002.
	The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department already has in place a policy for addressing issues of compliance with the legislation on areas of special scientific interest by landowners and occupiers. The policy was ratified in November 2002 and implemented with immediate effect. I am arranging for a copy of the document, entitled Compliance Policy and General Guidance to be placed on the EHS website (www.ehsni.gov.uk), and it should be available by the end of May 2003.
	Additional policy guidance on the protection of ASSIs is contained in:
	Guidelines for the Selection of Biological ASSIs;
	The Habitats Regulations: A Guide for Competent Authorities; and
	Planning Policy Statement 2: Planning and Nature Conservation:
	The first two documents are also available on the EHS website; the third is available on the website of the Department's Planning Service (www.doeni.gov.uk/planning/).

Environmental Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to protect and manage the Ballynahone Bog Area of Special Scientific Interest.

Angela Smith: On 13 September 2000, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department of the Environment declared a large portion of Ballynahone Bog Area of Special Scientific Interest as a National Nature Reserve (NNR). Management as a NNR strengthens the protection of the nature conservation features of the site. It is managed jointly by the Ulster Wildlife Trust and Friends of Ballynahone Bog.
	EHS owns some 70 per cent. of the land within the ASSI. It has also offered to acquire the interest of most of the other landowners within that area with the specific aim of extending the NNR.

Essex Street Weapons Find

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the (a) origin and (b) age of the (i) timer/power units, (ii) handguns, (iii) AK47 assault rifle, (iv) ammunition, (v) telescopic sights and (vi) other equipment discovered by the police last weekend in Essex street, Lower Ormeau road, Belfast.

Jane Kennedy: On 22 March 2003 as a result of a police operation, an AKM assault rifle, a large quantity of ammunition, along with other items were discovered in Essex street, Lower Ormeau road, Belfast. A number of items have been sent for forensic examination, and at this stage it is too early to provide details as to the origin and age of the weapons, timer power units and the other items seized. Two persons have been charged in connection with this incident and police inquiries are continuing.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the EU Directives and Regulations which have been implemented by his Department since 17 April 2002.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office has not implemented any EU Directives or Regulations since 17 April 2002. The Northern Ireland Administration has implemented, within Northern Ireland, 99 1 Directives since 17 April 2002. The Northern Ireland administration ensures Directives are implemented within Northern Ireland, and as such plays a significant role in the UK's EU policy as regards EU Directives.
	
		
			 Department Directive Transposition Date 
		
		
			 DETI 98/24/EC 24/01/03 
			  98/24/EC 24/01/03 
			  98/24/EC 24/01/03 
			  2001/59/EC 24/01/03 
			  92/32/EEC 20/09/02 
			  99/45/EC 20/09/02 
			  2001/41/EC 20/09/02 
			  91/155/EEC 20/09/02 
			  91/410/EEC 20/09/02 
			  92/37/EC 20/09/02 
			  93/2 I/EC 20/09/02 
			  93/72/EC 20/09/02 
			  93/101/EEC 20/09/02 
			  93/112/EC 20/09/02 
			  94/69/EC 20/09/02 
			  96/54/EC 20/09/02 
			  97/69/EC 20/09/02 
			  98/73/EC 20/09/02 
			  98/98/EC 20/09/02 
			  2000/32/EC 20/09/02 
			  2000/33/EC 20/09/02 
			  2001/58/EC 20/09/02 
			  2001/59/EC 20/09/02 
			  2001/60/EC 20/09/02 
			
			 DEL 1999/70/EC 01/10/02 
			  1993/104/EC 06/04/03 
			  1994/33/EC 06/04/03 
			
			 DARD 91/494 06/12/02 
			  92/118 06/12/02 
			  93/121 06/12/02 
			  97/78 07/11/02 
			  97/79 07/11/02 
			  99/74 30/07/02 
			  99/87 01/10/02 
			  99/89 06/12/02 
			  99/105 19/12/02 
			  2000/75 19/02/03 
			  2001/64 28/01/03 
			  2001/99 17/09/02 
			  2001/103 17/09/02 
			  2001/109 01/10/02 
			  2002/5 23/07/02 
			  2002/18 17/09/02 
			  2002/23 23/07/02 
			  2002/28 16/09/02 
			  2002/29 16/09/02 
			  2002/37 17/02/03 
			  2002/42 03/03/03 
			  2002/48 17/02/03 
			  2002/63 03/03/03 
			  2002/64 17/02/03 
			  2002/66 03/03/03 
			  2002/71 03/03/03 
			  2002/76 03/03/03 
			  2002/81 17/02/03 
			  2002/100 03/03/03 
			
			 DHSSPS (FSA) 2001/471/EC 10/6/2002 
			  98/53/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2001/22/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2002/26/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2001/27/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2002/69/EC 28/6/2002 
			  2002/441/EC 28/6/2002 
			  2001/15/EC 5/8/2002 
			  2001/102/EC 16/9/2002 
			  2002/1/EC 16/9/2002 
			  2002/79/EC 23/9/2002 
			  2002/233/EC 23/9/2002 
			  2002/678/EC 23/9/2002 
			  2002/80/EC 4/10/2002 
			  2002/679/EC 4/10/2002 
			  2001/62/EC 30/11/2002 
			  2001/79/EC 16/9/2002 
			
			 DARD 91/494 06/12/02 
			  92/118 06/12/02 
			  93/121 06/12/02 
			  97/78 07/11/02 
			  97/79 07/11/02 
			  99/74 30/07/02 
			  99/87 01/10/02 
			  99/89 06/12/02 
			  99/105 19/12/02 
			  2000/75 19/02/03 
			  2001/64 28/01/03 
			  2001/99 17/09/02 
			  2001/103 17/09/02 
			  2001/109 01/10/02 
			  2002/5 23/07/02 
			  2002/18 17/09/02 
			  2002/23 23/07/02 
			  2002/28 16/09/02 
			  2002/29 16/09/02 
			  2002/37 17/02/03 
			  2002/42 03/03/03 
			  2002/48 17/02/03 
			  2002/63 03/03/03 
			  2002/64 17/02/03 
			  2002/66 03/03/03 
			  2002/71 03/03/03 
			  2002/76 03/03/03 
			  2002/81 17/02/03 
			  2002/100 03/03/03 
			
			 DHSSPS (FSA) 2001/471/EC 10/6/2002 
			  98/53/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2001/22/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2002/26/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2001/27/EC 29/7/2002 
			  2002/69/EC 28/6/2002 
			  2002/441/EC 28/6/2002 
			  2001/15/EC 5/8/2002 
			  2001/102/EC 16/9/2002 
			  2002/1/EC 16/9/2002 
			  2002/79/EC 23/9/2002 
			  2002/233/EC 23/9/2002 
			  2002/678/EC 23/9/2002 
			  2002/80/EC 4/10/2002 
			  2002/679/EC 4/10/2002 
			  2001/62/EC 30/11/2002 
			  2001/79/EC 16/9/2002 
			
			 DHSSPS (FSA) 2002/16/EC 30/11/2002 
			  2002/72/EC 30/11/2002 
			  2002/17/EC 3/1/2003 
			  2002/82/EC 11/3/2003 
			  2001/101/EC 11/3/2003 
			  2002/86/EC 11/3/2003 
			
			 DOE 1996/36  1996/38 01/09/02 
			  2001/09 01/11/02 
			  2000/30 01/02/03 
			  2001/11 01/04/03 
			  1998/11 01/05/02 
			  1996/47  1997/26 20/01/03 
			  96/62/EC 17/01/03 
			  80/778 (amended by 98/83/EC 28/11/02 partial implementation 
			  98/101/EC 27/9/02 
			  99/5 I/EC 27/02/03 
			  91/338/EEC 11/03/03 
			  2001/91/EC 27/02/03 
			  96/61/EC 31/03/03 
			  2000/2037/EC Partially transposed 
			  96/29/EURATOM 2/04/03 
			  94/63/EC 25/02/03 
			  1999/22/EC 31/03/03 
			  2001/18/EC 15/04/03 
		
	
	(26) figure as at 8 April 2003
	The Northern Ireland administration have implemented 13 Regulations since 17 April 2002 EC Regulations are, in general, directly applicable in the member states, without the need for further incorporation into national law. However, some Regulations require UK measures to make them workable and enforceable. Some Regulations enact small or technical amendments.
	
		
			 Department Regulations 
		
		
			 DARD 2001/999 
			  2001/1248 
			  2001/1326 
			  2002/270 
			 DRD/DARD The Harbour Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003. The regulations implement Council Directive 85/337/EEC (as amended by Council Directive 97/1 I/EC) in the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, in respect of certain harbour works. 
			 DHSSPS (FSA) 466/2001 
			  563/2002 
			  2013/2001 
			  2200/2001 
			  256/2002 
			  104/2000 
			  2065/2001 
			 DOE Department of the Environment (Road Safety and Vehicle Standards Division) ECE Regulation 10Revisions 10.01  10.02

Fibromyalgia

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the range of services provided under the NHS to patients with fibromyalgia in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: Patients suffering from fibromyalgia may experience a wide range of symptoms such as pain, fatigue, a tingling sensation in arms and legs, swelling in the joints, headaches, depression, anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome. There is no specific diagnostic test or cure for this illness and I fully appreciate how this may lead to great distress and frustration for sufferers.
	As the symptoms in each sufferer vary greatly, patients receive treatment through a range of services in both the primary and secondary care settings. This may include access to rheumatology, neurology and mental health services. Management of the condition also involves self-help initiatives such as aerobic exercise programmes, relaxation therapy, and medication to treat symptoms such as painkillers or anti-depressants, and psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

General Practitioners

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to increase the number of general practitioner posts in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is not aware of any general recruitment difficulties associated with this group of independent contractors. Nevertheless, the position will be kept under review through the Department's workforce planning process.

Housing Maintenance

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action will be taken to address the backlog of maintenance and improvement work to (a) Housing Executive and (b) housing association homes.

Des Browne: Maintenance and improvement of its stock is the Housing Executive's top priority and in the current financial year 113 million has been allocated for this purpose. I will continue to seek the necessary funding to ensure that the Housing Executive has adequate resources to deal with its continuing needs and priorities in this regard. The Housing Executive is at present formulating a maintenance investment strategy to re-appraise expenditure priorities over the next 10 years.
	Registered Housing Associations are responsible for maintenance and major repairs work to their own properties and fund the necessary works from their own resources. There is no backlog in these areas, but housing association maintenance/improvement activities are audited on a regular basis to ensure compliance with the Department's requirements which includes the Tenants' Guarantee and the Right to Repair Scheme.

Industrial Action

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many working days were lost owing to industrial action by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002.

Paul Murphy: Within the Northern Ireland Office there were no days lost owing to industrial action by staff in 2002.
	Within the Northern Ireland Administration the available information on the number of working days lost by NI Departments, Agencies and associated non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) due to industrial action during 2002 is as follows:
	
		
			  Days 
		
		
			 Core NI Departments 20.5 
			 Agencies 619.5 
			 NDPBs 6,053 
		
	
	Figures for the core Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, its AgencyHealth Estatesand one of its two NDPBsthe Mental Health Commissionare not available as unauthorised absence is recorded as unpaid leave along with properly authorised absence such as career breaks or additional maternity leave, and cannot be disaggregated.

Iraq

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action has been taken to ensure that Northern Ireland companies have an opportunity to bid for reconstruction and other work in Iraq.

Ian Pearson: British Trade International (BTI) are taking the lead on this issue and are managing a database of companies interested in bidding for reconstruction work in Iraq.
	The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, through Invest Northern Ireland is in regular contact with the Iraq desk at BTI and as a consequence prepared information for circulation to client companies in late March. Details of how to register on all relevant databases and other contact information about the humanitarian and reconstruction situation in Iraq is available to companies through Invest Northern Ireland's website at www.investni.com.
	In addition, a workshop is being scheduled to further ensure that local companies are aware of the humanitarian and reconstruction contracts in Iraq. This workshop will take place in June 2003.

Justice (Northern Ireland) Act

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Northern Ireland Office has to bring forward legislation to amend section 46(1) of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 to include the harbour and airport police within the remit of the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice.

Des Browne: Consultation with these organisations is continuing, and I am planning to meet with representatives of Belfast International Airport, Belfast City Airport, Belfast Port and Larne Port shortly. The hon. Lady shall be duly informed when a decision is reached.

Ministerial and Official Meetings

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials have had with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials of the Irish Republic since May 2002.

Paul Murphy: Ministers from the Northern Ireland Office have met with Irish Ministers on 26 occasions since the appointment of the present Secretary of State.
	British and Irish officials are in frequent contact on matters of common interest. Details of these meetings are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Musgrave Park Hospital

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many operations were carried out in Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast in (a) July 2002 and (b) August 2002; and how many operations are scheduled for the same months in 2003.

Des Browne: The information is as follows:
	(a) During July 2002 there were 412 operations carried out at the Musgrave Park Hospital.
	(b) During August 2002 there were 521 operations carried out at the Musgrave Park Hospital.
	Building work is ongoing at Musgrave Park Hospital to introduce two new Modular Theatres at a cost of 3.83 million. This will result in the temporary closure of a number of theatres during the summer months. Consequently no operations are planned for July 2003. There are 299 operations planned for August 2003.

Occupational Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vacancies for occupational therapists there are within the national health service in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: As at the 30th September 2002 there were occupational therapy vacancies amounting to a Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of 46.31. Occupational therapy vacancies detailed by Trust are given in the table below.
	
		
			 Trust(27) Whole time equivalent 
		
		
			 Homefirst Community 20 
			 North and West Belfast 7 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 0 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 0 
			 Causeway 3 
			 Mater Hospital 0 
			 United Hospitals Group 0 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 0 
			 Altnagelvin 0 
			 Foyle (including Westcare) 2 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals 4 
			 Belfast City Hospital 3 
			 Newry and Mourne 0 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital 0 
			 Ulster Hospital 3 
			 Green Park 2 
			 South and East Belfast 2.31 
			 Total 46.31 
		
	
	(27) The above figures do not include vacancy numbers from Down Lisburn HSS Trust

Occupational Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals are awaiting speech therapy assessment in Northern Ireland; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

Des Browne: Information on the number of individuals awaiting speech therapy assessment is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, information is collected centrally on completed waiting times for a first outpatient appointment of an episode of care with a community speech and language therapist. In the quarter ending 31 December 2002, 2,480 persons attended their first out-patient appointment. Of these, 209 (8.4 per cent.) had waited for six months or more.

Occupational Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are awaiting occupational therapy assessment in Northern Ireland; and how many have waited more than six months.

Des Browne: At 31 December 2002 (the latest date for which such information is available), there were 9,784 persons awaiting assessment by community occupational therapists, of which 3,697 (37.8 per cent.) had been waiting for six months or more.

Pharmacies

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when he last met the National Pharmacy Association (Northern Ireland), the Pharmacy Contractors Committee (Northern Ireland), the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Chemists' Association to discuss the Office of Fair Trading report, The Control of Entry Regulations and Retail Pharmacy Services in the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will publish his response to the Office of Fair Trading report The Control of Entry Regulations and Retail Pharmacy Services in the UK;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the Office of Fair Trading report, The Control of Entry Regulations and Retail Pharmacy Services in the UK on the provision of health promotion and prevention services in Northern Ireland with special reference to the provision of primary care services and facilities, in line with DHSSPS plans and priorities;
	(4)  when he last had discussions with his Scottish counterpart on the implications of the Office of Fair Trading report, The Control of Entry Regulations and Retail Pharmacy Services in the UK on health services in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Des Browne: I announced on 26 March 2003 that I would not be accepting the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report on retail pharmacies for Northern Ireland, and the Secretary of State fully endorsed that decision. I carefully considered the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report, the comments received from a wide range of interested parties in Northern Ireland and the views expressed by MLAs and MPs from the political parties. I concluded that simple and complete deregulation, as set out in the OFT report, is not a realistic option and is not, therefore, the way forward for Northern Ireland.
	I indicated that I planned to continue to develop Northern Ireland community pharmacy services within the context of the forthcoming Community Pharmacy Strategy. This will provide the opportunity to consider how pharmacy services, including health promotion and health protection policies, in the future can best respond to the interests and needs of patients and consumers in Northern Ireland, particularly in terms of quality and best value. I also intend to negotiate a new contract for community pharmacies. The main thrust of these negotiations will be the implementation of the new Strategy, but I will also consider how the existing regulatory arrangements can be improved to take account of changing health policies.
	While I did not personally meet with representatives of the pharmaceutical profession here in regard to this matter, they provided very detailed submissions on the report which I took fully into account in reaching my decision. I have not had the opportunity to formally discuss this matter with the Secretary of State for Scotland, but the Department's officials have been working closely with their counterparts in Scotland, as well as with those in England and Wales, in the evaluation of the content of the OFT report.

Overseas Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many overseas nurses are employed in Northern Ireland within the national health service; and how many vacancies for nurses there are.

Des Browne: As at 31 March 2003 the total number of overseas nurses employed in Northern Ireland within the NHS is 560. The number and country of origin of these nurses, detailed by Trust, is given in the table.
	
		
			 Trust Country ofOrigin Number 
		
		
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Philippines 45 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge None 0 
			 Newry and Mourne Philippines 6 
			 Armagh and Dungannon None 0 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals Philippines 12 
			 Sperrin Lakeland Philippines 25 
			 Foyle None 0 
			 Causeway None 0 
			 United Philippines 17 
			 Homefirst(28) Philippines 5 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals Philippines 243  
			  Australia 1 
			 Belfast City Hospital Philippines 31  
			  Yugoslavia 1 
			  Africa 2 
			  Palestine 1 
			 Greenpark Philippines 22  
			  Bulgaria 1  
			  India 1  
			  Kenya 1  
			  New Zealand 1 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Philippines 96 
			 Down Lisburn India 24 
			 North and West Belfast None 0 
			 South and East Belfast None 0 
			 Mater Infirmorum India 25 
			 Total  560 
		
	
	(28) Homefirst Trust is currently recruiting additional nurses from India
	Details of hospital and community nursing, midwifery and health visiting vacancies by HPSS Organisation are given in the following tables.
	
		Hospital nursing, midwifery and health visiting vacancies by HPSS organisation
		
			 HPSS organisation(29) Vacancies WTE(30) 
		
		
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 257.58 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust 78.17 
			 Mater Infirmorum HSS Trust 46 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 67.45 
			 United Hospitals HSS Trust 59 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 35.1 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 16 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 13.5 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 12.97 
			 Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service 8.55 
			 Foyle HSS Trust 20 
			 Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust 41 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 44.46 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 24 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 5 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 4 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 2 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 1.8 
			 Total 736.58 
		
	
	(29) The above figures do not include vacancy numbers from Down Lisburn HSS Trust
	(30) Whole Time Equivalent
	
		Community nursing, midwifery and health visiting vacancies by HPSS organisation
		
			 HPSS organisation(31) Vacancies 
		
		
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 26 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 16 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 10.27 
			 Foyle HSS Trust 9 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 7 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust 6.71 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 3 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust 2.1 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 2 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 2 
			 Total 84.08 
		
	
	(31) The above figures do not include vacancy numbers from Down Lisburn HSS Trust

Police

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the targets were for police recruitment in Northern Ireland in each year since 2001; and how many police officers were recruited in each year.

Jane Kennedy: The targets for police recruitment in each year since November 2001 have been 540 trainees per year.
	The number of police trainees recruited between November 2001 and November 2002 was 534. The shortfall was caused by the withdrawal of six successful applicants for various personal reasons.
	In the context of the implementation of the PSNFs Human Resources Strategy, the Policing Board stated in a press release issued on 2 April that the Personnel and General Purposes Committee had been advised that the PSNI are on target to recruit 540 police trainees in this year.

Police

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers the Police Ombudsman has suspended from duty pending investigation since her appointment to the post.

Jane Kennedy: The Police Ombudsman has no power to suspend police officers. However where, during the course of an investigation, there are indications that the conduct of a police officer did not meet the appropriate standard, the Ombudsman is required to immediately notify the appropriate authority, and provide all relevant material, to enable that authority to consider suspension. In the case of a non-senior officer (up to Chief Superintendent) that authority is the Chief Constable and in the case of a senior officer the authority is the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The Chief Constable advises that since the appointment of the Police Ombudsman on 6 November 2000 a total of 15 police officers have been suspended, following such notifications, pending investigation by the Ombudsman's office.

Prerogative of Mercy

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his Answer of 20 March 2003, Official Report, column 895W, on the Prerogative of Mercy, if he will name each individual convicted of a terrorist offence who has been granted the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in each year since 1998; and what the reasons were in each case for the exercise of the Royal Prerogative.

Paul Murphy: It is Government policy not to comment on individual cases.

Prisons (Self-Inflicted Deaths)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many self-inflicted deaths in Northern Ireland Prison Service accommodation there were in each establishment in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Maghaberry Magilligan Hydebank Wood Maze Belfast Total 
		
		
			 1993  Nil 
			 1994 12 3 
			 1995 11 2 
			 1996 3 3 
			 1997 1 1 
			 1998 1 1 
			 1999 1 1 1   3 
			 2000  1 2   3 
			 2001  Nil 
		
	
	Note:
	200203: Three deaths in custody awaiting Coroner's inquest

Property Portfolio

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated value is of the property portfolio held by his Department.

Paul Murphy: The total value of the property portfolio held by the Northern Ireland Office as recorded in the NIO Asset register in the year 200102 is 9,080,803.38.
	The total value of the property portfolio held by the Northern Ireland Administration as recorded in the 200102 audited accounts was 1,648.1 million.

Public Order

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what rank of officer in the RUC press office was responsible for giving comments to the press and media covering disturbances on the evening of 17 March 1999; what opinion was expressed on the public order consequences of (a) the public gathering of a Lambeg drum competition in Corcrain Orange Hall and (b) the funeral wake for Rosemary Nelson; and if he will place transcripts of interviews and released statements in the Library.

Jane Kennedy: The officer in the RUC Press Office on the evening of 17 March 1999 held the rank of Sergeant.
	The relevant transcripts have been placed in the Library.

Royal Victoria Hospital

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the recent investigation at the Royal Victoria Hospital into the disappearance of donated money.

Des Browne: As this matter is currently subject to a police investigation it would not be appropriate to make any statement at this time.

Saville Inquiry

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been of accommodation provided at public expense to those attending the Saville Inquiry in London.

Des Browne: The Northern Ireland Office has agreed to meet the accommodation costs of a limited number of family members of those killed or injured on Bloody Sunday who are attending the Inquiry in London, as well as the families legal representatives and the counselling organisation Cunahm, which is providing support to the families. Up to the end of February 2003 the cost was 181,268. Accommodation is obtained at rates used for civil service staff staying in London on business.

Document Classification

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many documents are held by his Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification.

Paul Murphy: The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Special Olympics

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are being taken by the Northern Ireland Office to mark the arrival of the Special Olympics Torch in Bangor, County Down on 13 June.

Angela Smith: The Special Olympics Torch 'Flame of Hope' will arrive in Bangor County Down on 13 June 2003 before being carried to Dublin for the opening ceremony of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Croke Park, Dublin on June 21. The Royal Navy has agreed to bring the Olympic Flame across from Scotland to Bangor on the morning of 13 June to commence the ceremonies throughout Ireland prior to the Opening Ceremony.
	A RAF helicopter will lift the Flame and the appointed guardian of the Flame from the deck of the designated ship onto the Central Pier at Bangor Marina. The Flame will pass through the hands of 100+ International Law Enforcement Officers who will include officers from the Police Service NI and the Garda Siochana and will be presented to two local Special Olympic athletes.
	The Bands of the Royal Irish Regiment will provide music. There will also be a parade of local school children. Arrangements for the reception including ceremonies and speeches have yet to be finalised.

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were employed by his Department in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203.

Paul Murphy: The following number of staff were employed within the Northern Ireland Office and its Agencies and NDPBs, as at 1 January 2002:
	Full-time equivalent numbers:
	1,390 Northern Ireland Civil Servants
	173 Home Civil Servants
	1,753 Prison Grades
	2 special advisers
	Actual staff numbers:
	1,469 Northern Ireland Civil Servants
	184 Home Civil Servants
	1,753 Prison Grades
	2 special advisers
	The following number of staff were employed within the Northern Ireland Office and its Agencies and NDPBs, as at 1 January 2003.
	Full-time equivalent numbers:
	1,449 Northern Ireland Civil Servants
	174 Home Civil Servants
	1,764 Prison Grades
	1 special adviser
	Actual staff numbers:
	1,525 Northern Ireland Civil Servants
	185 Home Civil Servants
	1,764 Prison Grades
	1 special adviser
	Staffing figures for Civil Service Departments and Agencies are published twice yearly by press notice, copies of which are laid in the Libraries of both Houses. The latest information, for October 2002, was published in February this year. The figures are also made available via the world-wide web at: http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/document/pdf/staffing 03.pdf
	Within the Northern Ireland Administration on 1 January 2002 and 1 January 2003 there were 9,026 and 9,848 staff (full time equivalents) respectively employed. This figures exclude staff employed in Agencies.

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies received paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in 2002.

Paul Murphy: In 2002, 25 staff employed by Northern Ireland Office, including its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, were allocated a total of 126 days paid leave to undertake union duties at a cost of 8,621.
	In 2002, 767 staff employed within the Northern Ireland Administration, including its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, were allocated a total of 11,777 days paid leave to undertake union duties at a cost of 961,256.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the statutory instruments issued by his Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals.

Paul Murphy: More than 400 statutory instruments (including statutory rules) were issued by the Northern Ireland Office, and the various Northern Ireland Departments of which since October last year the holder of my post has had direction and control, in the calendar year 2002. Lists of these instruments can be found on www.northernireland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk.
	The information requested in relation to the costs to public funds, businesses and individuals is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sunset Clauses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the sunset clauses included in legislation from his Department since 1997.

Paul Murphy: So far as I am aware a sunset clause has only been included in one piece of primary legislation made by my Department since 1997, that being section 47 of the Police Act (Northern Ireland) 2000. The Police (Northern Ireland) Bill 2003 currently before Parliament contains a sunset clause in relation to the recruitment of specialist officers.
	As regards subordinate legislation we do not hold central records and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Terrorism

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of threat from domestic and international terrorism at Belfast International Airport, with particular reference to manpower and resources available at the airport for security.

Jane Kennedy: It would not be appropriate to comment on the specific level of terrorism at Belfast International Airport. The hon. Member may however be interested to know that local police, the Airport Authorities and RAF Aldergrove regularly engage in dialogue to review security at the International Airport, and its perimeter, in line with perceived threats, whether they are domestic or international.
	I am content that there are adequate police and security resources at the Airport to meet with current DfT and NIO security requirements.

Terrorism

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the (a) bomb at Courtaulds factory in Carrickfergus on 1 May 1972, (b) bomb in Oxford Street, Belfast on 26 May 1972 and (c) bombs in Belfast on 21 July 1972;
	(2)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the (a) bomb attack on a BBC land rover on Brougher Mountain, County Tyrone on 9 February 1971, (b) bomb at the Northern Ireland Electricity Service office, Malone Road, Belfast on 25 August 1971 and (c) bomb at the Four Step Inn on the Shankill Road in Belfast on 29 September 1971;
	(3)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the (a) bomb in McLaughlin's Bar, New Lodge, Belfast on 5 April 1975, (b) bomb in Mountainview Tavern, Shankill Road, Belfast on 5 April 1975 and (c) bomb and gun attack in the Strand Bar, Short Strand, Belfast on 12 April 1975;
	(4)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the (a) bombs on the Ormeau Road in Belfast on 2 November 1971, (b) bomb at McGurk's public house in North Queen Street in Belfast on 4 December 1971, (c) bomb on the Shankill Road in Belfast on 11 December 1971, (d) bomb at the Abercorn Restaurant in Belfast on 4 March 1972 and (e) bomb in Lower Donegall Street, Belfast on 20 March 1972;
	(5)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the bombs in (a) Claudy, County Londonderry on 31 July 1972, (b) bomb in Ship Street, Belfast on 31 October 1972, (c) bomb in Leenan Gardens, Creggan Estate, Londonderry on 25 February 1973 and (d) bomb in Railway Street, Coleraine on 12 June 1973;
	(6)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the (a) bomb in Trainor's public house near Loughgall, County Armagh on 19 February 1974, (b) bomb in Conway's public house, Greencastle on 29 March 1974, (c) bomb in Crescent Bar, Sandy Row, Belfast on 30 March 1974, (d) bomb in the Rose and Crown public house, Ormeau Road, Belfast on 2 May 1974, (e) bomb and gun attack on Silverbridge Inn, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh on 19 December 1975 and (f) bomb in Central Bar, Gilford, County Down on 31 December 1975;
	(7)  what progress has been made in securing convictions against those responsible for the (a) bomb in Killyliss, Dungannon, County Tyrone on 21 April 1975, (b) bomb and gun attack in the Bayardo Bar, Shankill, Belfast on 13 August 1975, (c) bomb and gun attack in McGleenan's Bar, Upper English Street, Armagh on 22 August 1975 and (d) gun and bomb attacks in Belfast and County Antrim on 2 October 1975.

Paul Murphy: It would be at disproportionate cost to provide the information requested.

Traffic Cones

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many accidents have occurred on Northern Ireland roads and motorways as a result of stray traffic cones in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: The PSNI and the Department of the Environment do not keep statistics of accidents on roads and motorways caused solely by stray cones.

Travel Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of travel by train by staff in his Department in 2002.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office spent 21,550 in the period from 1 April 2002 to 28 February 2003, the latest date for which figures are available.
	Within the Northern Ireland Administration, the information required is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Victim Support

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to help victims of crime in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Government remains committed to improving access to justice for victims of crime in Northern Ireland. A key part of this is the implementation of the Criminal Justice Review recommendations on victims which are currently being implemented.
	Since 1998 the Government has allocated 20 million+ to fund initiatives to support victims of the Troubles. In 200203 the Government will be investing funding of around 1.6 million to Victim Support Northern Ireland, an independent voluntary organisation which helps people come to terms with the experience of being a victim of crime.

Victim Support

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will grant additional funding to victims groups who provide support to the victims of terrorist violence and who are encountering serious financial consequences as a result of a shortfall in core funding made available by the Community Relations Council.

Des Browne: Since 1998 this Government has allocated more than 20 million to fund victims' initiatives.
	More than 6 millionaround 30 per cent.of this has gone to pay the core running costs of victims' groups. This is in recognition of the valuable work that victims' groups do and I continue to press the case for more money for victims' initiatives. In allocating any further such funding that may become available I will of course have regard to this work. Equally, I must take into account the fact that many victims do not align themselves with victims' groups.

Working Hours

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what policy on (a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Paul Murphy: Within the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Administration guidance on these matters is set out in a common Code of Practice for Flexible Working Hours. There are normally two core hours each morning (e.g. 10:0012:00) and each afternoon (e.g. 14:0016:00) constituting the essential part of the day when all staff should be present unless their absence has been authorised. Outside this core time, staff can vary their hours of attendance providing no adverse effect on efficiency and service to the public results.
	From 6 April 2003 parents of children under the age of six (or 18 in the case of a disabled child) have a statutory right to request to work flexibly and employers will have a duty to consider such requests seriously.
	Given the number of alternative working patterns in existence, details of the various core time and flexible working hours patterns operating throughout the Northern Ireland Office and the departments of the Northern Ireland Administration are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.